Game Over (A death note AU)
by Thrudi
Summary: Game Over is set in an AU where L didn't stay dead after Light killed him and comes back to finish the case. Will L die a second time and waste his chance at life or will he finally catch Kira? Note: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters there in. They are the property of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Episodes 1-25 of the Death Note Anime are considered past events.
1. Chapter 1

L hadn't become the world's greatest detective by accepting things as impossible. Impossible was the label approximately ninety percent of his cases had been given before he came along. Even if winning was said to be impossible, L won and not just because he hated to lose, but because he never gave up. So it should come as no surprise that L refused to consider a little thing like coming back from the dead impossible.

But he was drifting in the darkness. More and more of his mind was being claimed by it and L knew that if he didn't find some way to anchor himself soon then his fight against death would be lost before it even begun. He focused on his last memory before that horrible pain had racked his chest and the darkness had swallowed him: Light Yagami, his voice sounding concerned, his arms gentle as he held L in his arms like he was a fallen comrade who mattered a great deal. The treacherous little smile that broke Light's features, sheltered from the rest of the task force and the security camera's by his hair told L the truth, however. L had been right all along. Light Yagami was Kira and had arranged for his powers to pass back to him somehow.

L felt his mind stop drifting as the image solidified in his mind. As he concentrated a little harder on it, a small part of his mind reclaimed itself from the darkness to add sound to the image. Words that Light had whispered into L's ear as he died, too soft for the task force to hear: "I win L. Kira cannot be stopped now."

L tried to focus on another memory in order to reclaim more of his mind, but the rest were too faint. For good or for ill, that last memory of Light was all that stood between L and eternal darkness. It would have to do. So L thought about Kira.

Kira. From the moment L had heard of him, L had known the threat he would be. A man who could kill anyone and felt that such a curse gave him the right to judge all mankind. L had felt sick after reading the files and seeing the death's Kira had caused. Kira was a danger to all that L had worked his whole life to protect.

"You pervert! Would you stop it with you creepy hobby!"

Misa Amena had spoken the words. L knew her to be the second Kira. That being said she was a complete and total airhead with a dangerous obsession with the original Kira, Light Yagami, that would get her killed some day. L had not paid her words much attention in life, but now in death they aided L in his struggle.

L felt another fragment of his mind pull free from the darkness as Misa's words unleashed a horde of memories. She had been talking about L's habit of watching on survelliance cameras. Misa Amena didn't know it, but L's "hobby" as she called it was a part of his very being. For all of his life L had watched the world. Whether through his eyes or through his surveillance cameras L was constantly observing the world around him. It fascinated him to watch how people went about their business. They didn't know much about the world, but they didn't care. They just lived day to day no matter the tragedy, treating each discovery with horror or joy. They trusted that the world would continue spinning from day to day without needing to know the details of how it spun. The world they lived in surrounded L day in and day out. He could see it clearly and yet it was always just out of L's reach.

Memories blossomed as L remembered the reason he had sacrificed everything for his code name: L. Even though L could never exist in the same world as normal people did, he had an urge to protect it. Something as beautiful and strange as their world could not be allowed to be perverted. Most people would have felt anger or been indifferent to a world they couldn't reach. A world that called them "freaks" and yet was envious of them. Not L. L wanted to know that there was a world out there beyond the one he lived in. A place where at least someone was happy. Many people thought that "L" stood for the law that the detective protected. They didn't know that there was a second meaning to that "L". It also stood for lookout, someone who watched and protected.

A distant memory danced through L's mind. It was not an image, but a sound. A child's nursery rhyme that he didn't remember the words to. He did, however, remember the meaning. The rhyme had been about the happiness that waited in the wide wide world. The rhyme brought L back full circle to Kira.

He was almost there now. All he needed was one final push and then the darkness would be gone.

Kira had to be defeated because he would create a world of fear. Kira might kill only criminals at first, but the more he killed and the longer he did, the more afraid people would grow. The signs of it had already begun in the world L had left. The police organizations refusing to pursue Kira and the increasing support for him in the media. People would worship Kira as a god. Not because they believed what he was doing to be just, but because Kira was a crazed murderer. By the time L had gotten involved, Light Yagami killed without even a change of expression. The surveillance cameras had confirmed that much. Light had grown so drunk on that power that it wouldn't be long before he couldn't distinguish between the innocent and the guilty anymore. It was only a matter of time before innocents started dying on mass. He had already killed a great many innocents, people whose crimes had been hyped up by the media, but were really innocent. In time, people would live a world of fear. Fear that the media might one day call them a criminal. Fear that Kira could kill them at any moment. Fear would shatter the world L had watched out for all his life. That L could not allow.

L opened his eyes.

He was sitting cross legged on a surface he couldn't identify. Blackness surrounded him on all sides, leading L to realize that he was in some kind of void.

"Well, that's fantastic," A voice grumbled.

L turned to see a monster behind him. It looked like the skeleton of some bipedal creature with a triangular pterodactal head and wings of fire. Red eyes regarded L through the eye sockets of the head.

L had to focus a moment before he could place what it was: a Shinigami. He had seen one in his last day of life. It had called itself Rem. L couldn't be sure, but he thought Rem might be responsible for his current condition.

The Shinigami standing behind L took a small leather bag out of the nothingness behind him and attached it to his belt.

"Should have known better then to bet with Rubyi," It muttered then it suddenly took to the air and grabbed L's arms in its strange half claw half human.

"It is your lucky day, human," the Shinigami commented as it flew upward into the darkness. "You have been summoned by the Shinigami King."


	2. Summons from the Shinigami King

"What does the Shinigami King want with me?" L asked.

The shinigami carrying him shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. The king ordered me to carry you to him if you woke up so here we are."

L wasn't sure where here was. Both him and his ride were still surrounded by darkness. As far as L could tell, here was nowhere.

Then a gray smudge grew on the horizon. The shinigami flew up into it and L found himself in another world. Not that there was much to see in this particular world. It was wasteland composed mostly of gray sand and boulders. The one structure in sight was the well that he and the shinigami had just flown out of. As the shinigami soared over the landscape, L spotted the inhabitants of this particular world. They came in all shapes. One looked like a human skeleton with a wrapped ball for a head. Another looked a white chrysalsis. Yet another possessed bat wings bigger then its four foot heigh skeletal body.

They are shinigami L concluded. I am in the shinigami realm.

L hadn't realized that the place would be quite so boring. It wasn't just the dull gray colored landscape. The shinigami themselves were not doing anything interesting either. Most of them lounged around on boulders either playing dice or taking naps. The only ones close to doing something interesting were the shinigami who were looking down into the holes and writing something in their notebooks. Even that would have been boring if L hadn't know that what they were writing in were death notes. The idea of watching Kira kill people that way had been terrifying, watching the shinigami kill people that way was not. Maybe it was just the idea of a human having that kind of power that was terrifying.

The shinigami carrying L swooped dived towards a trio of shinigami playing some kind of card game. The rocks being pushed into the center reminded L of tokens in a game of poker. Did Shinigami play human games like poker?

One of the shinigami with a body that looked like the skeleton of a dead viking with jeweled eyes looked up as they passed overhead. L narrowly missed being hit with a leather bag as his ride dropped it on the head of the viking shinigami. The viking shinigami caught the bag before it could reach his head and looked inside.

"Told you, Fyora!" the viking shinigami crowed.

"Never betting with Rubyi again," Fyora muttered, tightening his grip on L's arms.

L craned his necks to catch a glimpse of what was in the bag. Rubyi pulled out what looked like a black, wrinkled fruit and tossed it into his mouth. Was that an apple? Kira himself had told L in a message that shinigami loved apples. Had he been telling the truth?

Fyora rose higher into the air, flying towards chains embedded in the sky not far from a mountain. If L squinted, he could make out a white blob hanging from those chains. As they got closer to the mountain the blob grew arms with hands that had three claws each then developed eyeholes and a mouth. When Fyora dropped L onto the mountain top and landed himself, L realized that the blob had to be the Shinigami King.

Sure enough. The blob turned its eyes holes on Fyora and spoke, "Leave us."

Fyora flew off, grumbling. "Next time you need a human, call some other shinigami. I don't run a taxi service."

"L Lawliet," the blob said.

It took L a moment to recognize his own name which was a sad statement on L's life. He had given up his true name long ago to become L. Not since before he became a detective had he been called by it. As far as L knew, only he and Watari knew that name.

"That is your name is it not?" The blob asked.

L nodded.

"You are the detective who almost took down the human calling himself Kira."

"You already know all this. It is why you summoned me is it not?" L asked.

The blob's mouth formed into a hideous grimace that L assumed was some kind of smile. "What would you know of the Shinigami King's mind?"

"My fight against Kira is the only interaction I have had with Shinigami. Therefore it must be the reason why you summoned me. It is as simple as that," L replied.

"Tell me Lawliet," The king said. "Do you know what killed you?"

"A death note."

"A death note, but not Kira?" The king pressed.

"One could assume that it was Kira given that he was the only person on earth to possess a death note and a reason for wanting me dead, but I don't think that is the case. I think that it was the shinigami at headquarters."

"Because Shinigami eyes can see people's names above their heads?"

L shrugged. "I don't know anything about Shinigami eyes, but I do know that Shinigami have to possess some way to instantly know a human's name because they kill with death notes and death notes need a name and a face to kill. I also think it was a Shinigami because I am here. If Kira had simply killed me with his death note then we wouldn't be having this conversation."

The blob grinned. "Your good, but not quite there yet. What you require is a bit more information. Do you know how to kill a Shinigami?"

L shook his head. "I didn't even know they were real until a day or so before I died. No."

"A Shinigami can only die one of two ways: If a Shinigami stops taking human lives to add to its own life span or if a Shinigami were to care enough about a human to kill in order to lengthen the life of that human. We are made to take, Lawliet. Both go against our purpose. Do you understand?"

For a moment, L didn't then everything popped into place.

"Rem. She didn't seem like the squeamish type when I spoke to her. So my guess is that she some how began to care for a human and that Light Yagami somehow used that against her. Light deliberately put her in a situation where my continued existence put that human in danger of imminent death," L said.

The blob nodded, "Go on."

"You said that Shinigami must write down human life spans and consume them. Would I be correct in assuming that such a thing means that you regard humans as food?"

"Yes, we do."

"You are angry with Light Yagami because he controlled a shinigami into committing suicide. It is unacceptable to you that a human should put himself above a shinigami in such a way. Light Yagami has made it look like humans are more powerful then Shinigami. You want revenge on Light Yagami. You could simply kill him with a death note or order the shinigami with him to do so, but you don't want to do that," L continued.

The blob grinned nastily. "If the human's name is simply written down in the death note, he dies. Once your dead you can feel no pain. I do not think death would vex one such as him."

"Which is why you want him humilated. You want the humans to find out that he is Kira and arrest him. Then he becomes as weak as all the other humans again and Shinigami pride and power are restored. He dies like a rat caught in a trap instead of a martyr who figured out that mankind can defy the Shinigami. The reason I am here is because you are bringing me back to life to accomplish. Am I correct?"

"You are. Shinigami are gods of death and cannot be controlled by a weak, pathetic human such as Light Yagami. He needs to learn that he is under Shinigami control and not the other way around. It is fitting that I reverse what he manipulated Rem to accomplish. You are truly the only human I could send back to do this. It has been over a year now and Light Yagami has not been found out yet."

L stared at the blob as its statement sunk in. A full year? He had been dead for a year now?

"If you had retrieved me from the darkness instead of waiting for me to come out of it on my own, he would be caught by now!" L said.

The blob snorted and waved its claws. "You would hardly have been worth sending back to life if you couldn't snap yourself out of death. I needed to know if you were strong enough. I have questioned you as well because I needed to know if you were smart enough."

"To take down Kira?"

The blob chuckled. "To bet on. When I send you back to earth, we Shinigami will watch what happens from our realm. Most my subjects have already begun taking bets. Now I know that you are a good bet. Light Yagami's downfall will be an entertainment such as the Shinigami realm has not had in centuries."

That meant L too was entertainment. Great.

"I will have a physical body when I am back on earth right?" L asked.

"Of course you will. You can't get Light Yagami arrested if you are a ghost. A ghost is what you would have been had you tried to get back to earth by yourself," The king sniffed.

"I won't be in my old body though?" L pressed.

If it truly had been a year since he died and L didn't doubt that it had, then his body would have decomposed or at the very least have been full of worms and other insects. It would be just as impossible to arrest Light Yagami if he came back in that form as it would be if he were a ghost. No jury would take the word of a zombie.

"Yes and no. As king of the shinigami and master of the death notes I have the power to reverse what they have done. So physically it will be as if you never died. The body you refer to, the one decomposing in a coffin, will simply disappear as if it never had been. You will be as you were before the death note's power took effect," The king replied.

"There are two more problems. The first is that my name is still in Rem's notebook. Kira will simply be able to find it and I will be dead a second time," L pointed out.

"No. The second you return to life then your name will be too badly smudged in the death note to read and so will any memory of it. I assume that the other problem you are referring to is the second Kira's eyes. That will not be an issue. Once your name has been written once correctly in a death note then having it written a second time will not kill you. Most Shinigami do not know that because in has been millenia since a death note failed to kill."

"Enough questions. Our time is nearly up. When you awake in the human world, you will bear a message to Ryuk, the shinigami who owned the death note Kira found. You will tell him that I order him not to interfere in any way in the conflict between you and Light Yagami. You will also tell him that he is to come before me after you give him the message for a short audience. There is more I must say to him, but what I have to say is for the shinigami alone and not a human like you."

L didn't know what the king wanted to hide from him, but he hated being left in the dark. He started to argue then he noticed that there was a strange light on the plateau. He looked down and realized that his own body was glowing and flickering like static on a television screen.

"Where on earth are you sending me?" L demanded.

The king laughed and his chains shook with the motion, "Excellent unintended pun. Don't worry, Lawliet, you will appear where you most need to be in the human realm. Good luck and do catch Kira. It would be inconvenient if you couldn't."


	3. Breaking and Entering

L woke in complete stillness with his cheek against cold hard tile and, oddly enough, water dripping from his dark hair. This last struck L as odd until he remembered that just before he had died, he had gone up on the roof of task force headquarters in a rain storm and gotten soaked. The shinigami king had meant what he said about L returning to exactly the way he was before he died.

L's body felt heavy, but he sprang to his feet. He had no idea where on earth he was. The shinigami king had said he would appear where he most needed to be. That was hardly a specific description. L had hoped that meant he would reappear somewhere familiar. The room he was in, however, looked like a crossroads on the top floor of an ordinary office building complete with blanks walls and white flooring tiles. The only thing that wasn't standard were the security cameras perched near the ceiling. There were at least four of them with a clear shot of L. Foosteps pounding from the end two of the four hallways opening out on the cross roads told L that the cameras were streaming live and not recording tapes. Whoever was monitoring them had seen him and was on the way.

L didn't have time to examine the halls or consider where they might lead. He picked one that he didn't hear any footsteps coming from and ran.

"Shinigami must have a vastly different definition of 'need'," L muttered.

He didn't need to get grabbed by whatever security this place had and needed to be handed over to the police for breaking and entering even less. He had neither passport nor identification. Wattari was dead and could not rescue him and his allies at Wammies House thought he was dead. L could be locked up for years before he was released or somehow managed to convince someone he was L.

Unfortunately, the hallway he had taken turned back on itself and L found himself heading back for the cross roads. He spotted a figure at the end of the hallway, a blond woman in a black business suit, mere moments before he ran into her.

L expected her to fall to the floor with him on top of her, but she had a keen sense of balance. She took a few shaky steps away from him, but did not fall to the floor.

Her companion, a man with black hair was still gaping as L rushed past the recovered woman. He recovered enough to reach for L, but being the size of a teenager had its advantages. L slid between his legs and kept running, hoping that this next hallway did not loop back around. To his relief it did not.

"Stop!" The woman yelled.

She and her companion were behind L now, their feet pounding on the floor like minature hammers.

Not likely lady, L thought as he increased his speed.

The woman's sense of balance suggested that she had some skill with martial arts. She had been wearing a gun on her belt and so was her companion. Of even more concern was the lack of security guard uniforms. That suggested that these two might be mercenaries or even plainclothes detectives. L didn't like the idea of either.

"Stupid Shinigami," L muttered.

He increased his speed as he spotted a turn in the hallway. If he could get into one of the rooms then maybe he could find a place to hide or a window to climb out. Running around the halls and being pursued in an unknown building could only get L caught.

He opened the first door he came to after rounding the corner and skidded inside. He shut the door then turned to examine the room. It looked like an office with a large desk and desktop computer in the corner. Sadly, there were no windows.

L ignored the rest of the room and focused on the ceiling. There it was right above the desk!

When the man and woman didn't see or hear L further down the hall, they went into the room to search it for him, but before minutes before they opened the door, L was lying on his stomache in the air duct. He watched through the grill as they looked under the furniture and then left to search the other rooms.

L paused to catch his breath and consider his options. He could hide in the ventillation system for now, but eventually he would have to leave. If he stayed in it long enough, his pursuers might think he had left the building, but judging by the number of security cameras, they would see him the second he left the air duct. L also needed to find out where he was and fast.

L crawled out of the room via the air duct. He tried to keep silent, but the air duct was a tight fit even for a man as small as he was and he kept banging his head or shoulders on the top of it. He paused every time he did, but heard nothing to indicate that someone was searching the air ducts.

L smiled to himself as he crawled around peering through grills at the various rooms. Both the man and the woman had been far too big to climb around after him. Even if they did suspect that L was in the duct system they would have to wait until he left it to get to him.

L stopped when he found an office with more computers then normal. A quick trip out of the vent and a search of the desk drawers confirm that this was the office of some lowly tech support worker. He smiled as he pulled open a drawer and found a small black earpiece inside among a tangle of plugs and earbuds. It seemed like too much to hope, but L put it in his ear and turned it on.

"Gevanni, has the intruder been located?" a voice asked.

It was heavily disguised with sound modification software not dissimiliar to the kind L used to disguise his voice.

The next voice that spoke was not modified, however, "he has disappeared. The kid ran with me and Lidner behind him then turned a corner and was gone. Have you got anything on the cameras Rester?"

L frowned at the word "kid" then realized that it referred to him. He did look a lot like a goth teenager, one of the many defenses that protected his identity, but he wasn't used to be referred to as kid.

"Cameras confirm that the kid opened the door to that room you searched first and hasn't come out since. Are you sure you searched throughly?"

The woman's voice answered this time. She sounded indignant. "We searched every possible hiding place and the kid wasn't there."

"Could he be a spy sent by Kira to investigate the SPK?" Rester wondered.

The disguised voice cut in. "It is highly possible. How an intruder managed to penetrate so far into the SPK before getting caught is just as concerning. But since it is Kira we are dealing with, we must be cautious. Kira is a cunning opponent and wouldn't send a stupid man on such an important mission. The spy may well have found his way out of the room by now. Where there any windows in the room?"

"No," the woman replied.

"What about air vents?" The disguised voice pressed.

There was a pause.

"Yes, right above the desk."

L grimaced. Whoever was behind this disguised voice was smart.

L considered climbing back into the air duct, but decided against it. The woman and her partner would be listening for sounds coming from the ceiling now. Better to wait and use that as a last option. That third man, Rester, might be small enough to crawl in after him.

L sat down on the desk and digested the information he had just gained. So this was the headquarter of some organization that went by SPK. A well funded one if they had their own building like the conversation suggested. But one with few members too. There had only been four voices speaking and the disguised voice, obviously the leader, had not ordered other people to join the search. Most telling of all had been their mention of Kira. Was it possible that the Shinigami King had left L there because the SPK could be a potential ally?

L mulled it over. It was possible. He didn't know how much Shinigami understood humans. It was possible that the king had genuinely thought that something like a formerly dead person suddenly appearing in their headquarters wouldn't alarm anyone. It was just as possible that the king had thought it would be amusing to see how L explained himself and turned the SPK into his allies.

L needed to talk with their leader. It seemed that the SPK was against Kira. If the leader was half as clever as he seemed then the SPK could prove invaluable. His old task force believed him dead and contacting them would be as good as announcing to Light Yagami that he still lived. L had to get resources without alerting Light/Kira to his existence. The SPK could be that.

Of course none of that would be possible unless L was caught.

L replaced the earpiece where he had found it then darted out into the hallway. The cameras in the hall caught his movement and L had no doubt that Rester was now dispatching the man and woman, Gevanni and Lidner, after him.

Sure enough, he heard the footsteps of the pair as he raced down a hallway to the right and ran right into what he had been hoping for: a dead end.

L whirled around to find Lidner and Gevanni coming up behind him.

He tensed as they stopped a few feet away.

"You have nowhere to go. Hands behind your head," the woman, Lidner ordered pointing her gun at him.

L smiled, "Why? You won't shoot me. You want answers and shooting me won't get them."

L's smile seemed to unsettle Lidner. She lowered the gun.

Gevanni waved his. "Kid. You are backed up against a wall. Why not just cooperate and make things easier on yourself?"

L smiled even wider. "Take a look around you and you will realize that mankind is focused on futility. We go to great lengths not to make things easy. I am not about to break that time honored tradition. Plus, there is a chance that I could defeat both of you and escape."

Lidner laughed. "A chance? I don't think so."

"The odds are about one percent, but they still exist," L informed her.

Gevanni frowned. "So you would rather go with the one percent chance that you get away."

L nodded. "That is right."

"Well, Lidner here is a martial artist. Does that lower the odds enough for you?"

"I already factored that in to my calculations," L replied.

Gevanni started to speak, but L didn't hear what he said next. He was too busy ducking the right hook Lidner swung at him. She grunted as L kicked at her and his foot connected with her shoulder.

When L had said the odds were one percent, he had been exageratting. He found that for his more implausible theories pretending that they were unlikely tended to calm people down. They would cooperate with L and could tell themselves they were just being cautious. They didn't actually believe the theory. Yet time and time again, L had found that these theories were correct. In this case, however, L had exaggerated, not because of a case, but to bluff his opponents. He doubted either of them were aware that he too possessed martial skill.

Gevanni seemed surprised by his partner's sudden move, but he understood its meaning. Now they both came at L. Lidner's goal was to hit L with a disabling blow while Gevanni's was to grab L.

L swung smoothly through the complicated moves of Capoeria. It was a martial art he had been introduced to during a murder case by an agent of his and then adopted as his own. It allowed someone of his build and reach to defend and evade at the same time. L had worked hard to master it.

Gevanni and Lidner found themselves stumbling over each other and taking blows rather then efficently disabling and grabbing their opponent.

L wished they were just a bit faster. If they didn't switch strategies, L would have to make some kind of deliberate slip to allow them to take him. Such a thing would make it harder to believe that L had not allowed himself to be caught.

L was saved from this by the timely arrival of the second man in the SPK, Rester. L used the distraction his arrival afforded to deal disabling blows to both Lidner and Gevanni then rush at Rester as if to get away.

Just as L planned, Rester simply plucked L from the floor and held onto him.

"He looks a little young and scrawny to be the cause of so much trouble," Rester teased.

Lidner grimaced and got to her feet. Gevanni still lay on the floor, gasping from L's kick to the solar plexus.

She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and secured L's wrists behind his back.

He couldn't resist one last poke at her. "Shouldn't you secure my hands in front so you can see what I am doing?"

"Shut up," Lidner snarled then she tapped her ear piece. "We have the intruder, sir. I propose we throw him in the nearest dark hole and throw away the key."

She listened intently for a moment then looked at Rester, "The boss wants you to bring the intruder to him. He wants to question him in person."

Rester nodded then addressed L, "Can I trust you to walk on your own or are you going to cause trouble?"

"I will not cause trouble. Though is worth noting that my particular fighting style focuses on hands and not feet so if I wanted then I could cause problems. I understand if you still want to carry me," L said.

Rester blinked and then set L down on the floor and took his arm. Lidner and Gevanni walked behind L, watching him carefully.

"Why tell me that? Why not simply wait until I set you down then attack?"

L shrugged. "I prefer to be honest."

"That is an odd attitude for a burgalar or spy," Rester commented.

"I assure you I am neither. Given a choice, I would not be here," L said.

"So you are claiming, you what, just woke up here?"

L didn't answer. If he was being honest that was actually very close to the truth. L wasn't sure just how much of the truth he was going to tell the SPK.

Rester led L through a set of double doors.

The room behind must have the heart of the SPK. Monitors covered one wall and there was a long counter in front of it with computer chairs. A microphone sat on the counter plugged into a small black box that was probably the source of the disguised voice's software. A kid lay on his stomache in the middle of the room, building a castle entirely out of white LEGOs. The kid had white hair and wore a pair of what looked like white pajamas that matched.

Any other man might have thought that the kid was some employee's child who his father or mother had been forced to bring along due to lack of child care. L, however, knew better and he knew with a sinking feeling that turning this kid into an ally was going to be harder then he at first thought. The kid was one of the few people to know that L had died about a year ago. L was going to have to convince to Near, child genuis and one of his own successors, that he had come back from dead.


	4. Fake L

L had only meet Near once.

The creation of successors for L had been Wattari's idea. Wattari had argued that as smart as L was, he would eventually die. In the advent of L's death, crime would sky-rocket, but if there was somebody to pass the title to and continue as L then such a thing could be prevented. Wammi had turned Wammi's house into an orphanage with a secret mission: to find a child worthy of being L's successor. The core of Wammi's was made up of ordinary orphans. But mixed in with the normal children were genuises that L and Wattari had arranged to end up, seemingly by chance, at the orphange. These were the only ones beyond the Wammi's manager to know the real purpose behind the orphanage.

During a brief lull in cases, L had decided with encouragement from Wattari to take a personal hand in the grooming of his successors. However, L's way of doing this surprised even Wattari. L had posed as an orphan genius newly arrived at Wammi's House. He had stayed at Wammi's for a month, the longest his busy schedule would allow. He did this not just to see his successors as Wattari had thought, but also to test them. If the children seeking the title of L were to lay eyes on the original, would they recognize him for what he truly was?

On the last day of L's sojourn at Wammie's only two children had shown any promise. A boy with brown hair who called himself Mello had come close. At the end of a lesson, Mello had leaned towards L and grinned. "These fools, they really don't see the truth."

L, whose brain had been off on a particularly difficult case he had solved a year ago, focused on Mello. Had one of L's children finally recognized him? Sadly, his hopes were dashed by the child's next words: "The title of L is within spitting distance. I can feel it," He said. L had waited for Mello to take the next step, to realize that what he said was not true figuratively, but literally. Mello had never taken that next step. He had simply walked away and L had realized to his dissappointment that Mello had merely been bragging and trying to psych out a competitor.

Then L had seen Near. The boy had been just as he was now, sitting in the room and playing with his toys, oblivious to all else. L had sat with him for a moment observing him. Then Near had spoken.

"There is a puzzle I am trying to solve. A piece that just doesn't fit," Near said.

Another man might have assumed the child was talking about the puzzle he was playing. It looked to be completely white like his hair, L, however, realized that Near was not talking about his toys. Near was talking about L.

"Why doesn't the piece fit?" L asked.

Near fitted another piece into his puzzle, the only piece so far to have another color on it. "Most children here looking to become L adopt one of three positions: Some see becoming the next L as a competition like the boy you just spoke to, others see it as a sacred calling that is often daunting, and the last group see it as a way to become the best in any field even if they don't get reach the goal. You are neither."

L had smiled blandly. Inwardly, his mind was racing, had Near figured out the truth?

"What about you? You are a piece that doesn't fit as well," L had pointed out.

Near had put the last piece on the puzzle, revealing that there was a black letter 'L' in the corner of the mostly white puzzle. He looked up. "To me, becoming L is a puzzle to solve. In order to become L, I must understand him. I must equal him in the same way an equation is equal on both sides. I will either become or I will not. I do not, however, see this in you. I do not know what you are yet. That mystery is still to be solved."

L had felt slightly disappointed. If only he had another week or so to spend then Near might complete L's challenge. L had wished he could give it to Near, but Wattari had contacted him to let him know that his former successor in training, B, was loose in Los Angles. L was scheduled to fly to the states and had already been looking through profiles for an agent to use in America. A suspended agent named Naomi Misora looked especially promising.

Not even the head of Wammi's house had known that the real L was visiting. L had simply posed as someone in L's employ sent to inspect the orphanage. L did the standard inspectors report, here are a few good things and a few things you could improve on etc. That was all L had meant to say, but at the end of the day as L was slipping out the door he hadn't been able to resist giving something out of the ordinary. He told the head of Wammi's that L had sent him a message to say that L had not yet chosen a successor, but that in the event of his untimely death, Near and Mello were the top two choices.

Now L stood before Near. Near obviously recognized L from Wammi's, but still hadn't solved the puzzle yet.

"What is your name?" Near asked.

L considered for a moment. He could lie to Near. Tell Near that he was trained personally by L. L had no doubt he could sell that. But as L had on so many cases, L made a decision based on intuition. That intuition told him that Near deserved and needed the truth.

"I am L," L said.

Near's underlings gasped.

"Impossible," Lidner said.

"He is lying," Gevanni agreed.

Rester didn't speak, but he gripped L so tightly that his nails dug into L's arm.

Near held up a hand to forestall his comrades.

"Where have you been for the last year?"

"Dead," L replied.

Near tilted his head slightly and considered this answer for a moment. "You have not been the one sending out messages in L's name. You are not Light Yagami."

L nodded.

So all had gone as L had known it would. After L died, Light Yagami had convinced the task force that he was the only one capable of taking L's place. Kira now had the respectability of L and his own supernatural powers. How irritating.

"If you were dead then how are you alive now?"

Again, L was tempted to lie and again he surpressed the urge. "The Shinigami King brought me back to life. Kira was not the one who killed me. He couldn't. He manipulated a Shinigami into doing the deed at the cost of its life. The king sent me back to get revenge on Kira."

Near added a few crenellations to his LEGO castle.

"Sir? Are you really going to believe such an impossible story? Such a thing would be supernatural!" Lidner demanded.

Near looked up. "Fake L has already proven that he is intelligent. He knows that such a story would be met with skepticism. Instead of presenting something more plausible, he still told us this. Kira can kill by causing a heart attack without touching or even being close to his victims. A supernatural method of killing makes sense."

Near then turned to L, "Fake L_"

"If you can't bring yourself to call me by my title then call me Ryuzaki," L interrupted.

It was the name L had used when posing as an orphan at Wammi's house. Near didn't show outwardly that he recognized the name, but L knew that Near's memory was photographic. He remembered alright.

"Ryuzaki then. Is there any way you can prove that you are L and not a spy sent by Kira?"

"There are two tests that can be performed. The first is a blood glucose test. L has hypoglycemia. This will show up on a test_" L began.

"But L doesn't have any DNA or blood on file. Few saw his face let alone got a chance to grab a sample off him," Lidner objected.

L shrugged, "Wattari/Quillish Wammi did. He took samples of me with my consent. One was blood and the other was DNA. He wanted to see if my abilities were tied to genetics. On his death, both of these would have been delivered to Wammi's House for safe keeping. You can test my blood and DNA against those."

"That should do," Near said. "Gevanni, I want you to take samples from Ryuzaki. After that, I want you to confine him in a room without an air vent or window and keep watch. When the DNA and blood test results come back, we will know what do with him."

"I will cooperate fully. I just have one question. Can I get a cup of coffee and a bowl of sugar? At least two cups of sugar in the bowl would be nice."


	5. Lidner

L was by no means idle while he waited for the test results.

Pulling himself back from death and eternal darkness had taken all his concentration. There had been no time to plan for the future during the interview with the Shinigami King and L's only thoughts on arriving in SPK headquarters were of evasion and eventually capture. Light Yagami was by no means a stupid opponent so L knew he had to plan every move he would make before trying anything.

As L sat with his knees pulled up to his chest on the cot he had been given in his make-shift cell, L began to develop a plan. He planned not just for what he would do, but also for Light Yagami would do. L doubted Kira was going to sit still while L's plan was in motion.

L also began to examine the various SPK members. They were not a bad sort and seemed to be ordinary officers of the law like his former task force had been. By the slenderness and quickness of Gevanni's hands guessed that he had some skill as a forger. That could be useful. Rester had an honest face that made L think of his long time employee, Aiber. And then there was Lidner.

L watched as Lidner quietly opened the door and creeped in. Gevanni had left a few moments prior so L had known that he was being relieved. This would be the first time Lidner had guarded him. She shut the door as noiselessly as possible behind her.

"You don't have to be quiet on my account. I am not sleeping," He informed her.

Lidner gave a start and L could tell she was holding back a curse as she turned around.

"It is two am. Don't you ever sleep!" She demanded.

L considered the question. "I probably do sleep at some point. It is phsyically impossible for the human body to survive without sleep. I think I just don't notice because my brain still functions at a high level even when I sleep."

Lidner scowled and folded her arms.

"If you are going to spend hours glaring at me and acting angry then this is going to be a very long watch for you," L commented.

"You look so weird. Perching their in the dark like a gargoyle. Why do you sit that way?"

"I have to sit like this. My deductive skills will be reduced by fourty percent if I don't," L informed Lidner.

Lidner snorted.

"Do you trust Near?" L asked.

Lidner frowned. "Of course."

"Then why don't you trust me?"

"I don't know you. You just appeared in the middle of floor according to the security video. You seem to know a lot about Kira and you even know Near. Plus you are just so..."

"Different," L suggested.

Lidner hesitated then nodded.

"What would it take to gain your trust?" L asked.

Lidner blinked. "What?"

L didn't repeat himself. With her skill in martial arts, Lidner could be very useful. She could also be quite the obstacle if she didn't trust L.

"Trust doesn't work that way. It is built up over time," Lidner objected, looking away.

L nodded. "I see now. It has nothing to do with any action I have taken. You don't trust me because you think that I am lying about coming back from the dead. You don't want to believe it is possible."

Lidner hesitated for a moment then spoke: "It is not possible. There is no such thing as the supernatural. Everything can be explained."

"I used to think that. There was nothing I couldn't explain. Everything works according to natural laws. It was a comforting thought. Then came Kira. I didn't believe his power to be supernatural at first. Sure it looked like all the criminals had died from heart attacks, but there had to be some rational explanation. It wasn't until Shinigami were mentioned that I allowed myself to think of the possibility of Kira's powers defying reason. I managed to convince myself that it was only an outside possibility and that Kira could be explained. Then the day came when I saw a Shinigami and spoke to it. Shortly afterwards I died and found myself taken to a world full of them. I realize now that the supernatural was always there and I had ignored it because I didn't want it to exist. Be sure that it is not the same with you," L said bitterly.

"You are an imposter. You have to be," Lidner protested.

L stood and walk over to Lidner. He reached out and seized her left wrist with both of his hands which were still cuffed together.

"Remember this when the test results come back. Remember the warmth in my touch and the pulse in hands. I am as alive as you are Lidner. So deal with it."


	6. Annoying things

"The test results have come back and you are cleared," Near said.

He was playing with dominoes today, creating buildings complete with columns and roofs. Gevanni stood near him with the a stack of paper, probably the test results, in his hands.

"If you would take the handcuffs off him please_" Near began.

"No," L said.

Gevanni frowned. "What do you mean no?"

"Before you take the handcuffs off, I want to see the test results," L replied.

"Why is that?" Near asked.

He still hadn't looked up, but L knew that Near had already guessed the answer to that question.

"I need to know if I truly was cleared. Sure, I could observe the SPK and deduce whether or not you trusted, but it will be much simpler if I could just see those results."

"Give Ryuzaki the test results," Near said.

Gevanni hesitated until Near repeated himself then Gevanni handed L the report.

L scanned the first report and then the second. He then handed the report back to Gevanni.

"These are not the real test results," He said.

Gevanni looked at L blankly, Lidner standing in the corner observing snorted, and Near simply stacked another two dominoes on the tower he was constructing. Silence reigned in the room for a moment then Near spoke.

"What makes you think these are fake?"

"The DNA report says that the match is a hundred percent. No DNA test ever comes back so conclusive. A bit of the DNA is always contaminated or damaged. Then there is the blood-glucose test. These levels are bit too low. Hypoglycemics will have low levels of sugar, but anyone with levels this low would be diabetic if they weren't dead," L informed him.

Everyone stared at L and then Lidner smirked. "He has got you there, boss."

"You have the real results, but instead of showing them to me, you decided to test me with them. An imposter would be content that the tests came back favorable. He would want to move on. The real L would be smart enough to know that," L said.

Near shrugged. "It was worth a try. It proves that you are a smart imposter if not the real L. You can have a look at the real results later if you wish. Right now we have other priorities. I need you to tell me everything about your investigation into Kira, but before that I just have one more question. Is Light Yagami Kira?"

L nodded. "Yes. I focused on him for most of my investigation and he went to great lengths to get himself cleared before he had me killed."

L then related the details of his investigation to the SPK. If it had been just Near then L would have been finished in half an hour, unfortunately there were lesser intelligences in the room. L found himself being stopped frequently by questions from the SPK members and he had to re-explain a few things several times for them to understand. This was why L usually avoided explaining anything to anyone who wasn't Wattari. L had to dumb some things down for Wattari, but never to the ridiculous level he had to for regular people. It was like spelling five dollar words out letter by letter.

"Wait. You are Eraldo Coil, Danuve, and L all at once," Lidner interrupted.

L tried not to sigh. "Yes. Coil and Danuve both stepped over the line then tried to make me do the same. I stripped them of their titles as punishment. It is also very useful if someone is trying to find the truth about my true identity. They normally hire one of those two detectives for the job. Now if I could please continue."

"You handcuffed yourself to Kira," Gevanni said, for the fifth time.

"Yes."

"Didn't you know that you could_"

"Die. Yes," L said sarcastically.

Gevanni and Lidner were chastened enough by that to ask fewer question as L proceeded, which meant that he actually got somewhere.

Finally L concluded with four fitting words, "And then I died."

"So Kira uses a notebook to kill. He must have the person's face in mind and know that person's real name," Near said.

"Yes. Which is going to make all of this hard to prove," L agreed.

"I presume you were productive while we were waiting on the test results?"

"Yes, but before I reveal anything, I need sugar cubes. A whole bowl of them."

Near looked at Lidner and she left.

While she fetched the sugar, Near continued to play with his dominoes. He had already built a good sized model of the Parthenon and was working on what L guessed to be a model of the Lincoln memorial.

"I thought there was something different about you when I met you as Ryuzaki. Now I think I finally understand you, L," Near said.

"Another has taken my title from me just as I took the title of Eraldo Coil and Danuve. It would be best if you called me, Ryuzaki," L said.

"Very well then, Ryuzaki. Working with you should be...interesting," Near commented.

They didn't say another word. Near continued to build with dominoes and L watched him until Lidner reappeared with a bowl of sugar cubes.

L took the bowl from her and then chucked six sugar cubes straight into his mouth. The wonderful bliss of finally having sugar was so great that L nearly the missed the wide eyed look Lidner gave him.

L ignored her. He popped two more sugar cubes into his mouth then began to build a pyramid with the rest of them as he explained his plan to Near in detail.

The only comment Gevanni made while L outlined his plan was a whisper to Lidner: "Freaky. Now there is two of them." 


	7. Matsuda, You Idiot

"Light is currently at home with Misa. We can't follow him. Light is clever and would know if someone tailed him. So we have had to resort to having his apartment building watched. All the other task force members are done for the day. You should be clear," Near said.

L was standing in the lobby of task force headquarters. It wasn't his task force headquarters, of course. The building L had built for the investigation was abandonned. L had taken steps for the task force to still have use of it if Kira killed him, but the task force probably didn't know. Either that or they had been so traumatized by L's sudden death inside the facility that they couldn't bear to remain there. L thought this an unlikely option, though. He was L, the best detective in the world and he was Ryuzaki, a freak of a man who looked like a goth teenage boy. Neither identity receive any affection from colleages or co-workers. Wattari was the closest L ever got to having a friend.

 _Fortunately that also means there are fewer cameras,_ L thought as he made his way down the hall towards the stairs.

Every inch of the building in L's headquarters had been within view of at least one camera. Not even the bathrooms had been excluded. On his way to the task force's office on the top floor L only had to avoid three cameras placed in a seemingly random pattern. A quick look at the cameras' profiles revealed that they were a specific cheap model designed to create survelliance tapes and could not livestream.

L had no trouble getting into the office undetected either. The door to the office wasn't even locked. The task force was quit a trusting bunch. He had hoped that working with L would teach them some useful paranoia, but apparently those hopes had been in vain.

L scanned the darkened office when he entered. A few computers at a desk, a lot of papers, a coffee maker with a few sugar packets...it looked much like a typical police headquarters. L examined the wall and finally came across a respectable piece of security: a wall safe.

L traced the keypad on the safe and smiled. Anyone else breaking in to get to the death-note would be in trouble at this point, but L knew safes like other men knew baseball stats. This particular kind had been a favorite of one of his associates, the professional theif Wedy. Any time L had sent her to retrieve something and it had been in this kind of safe, Wedy would laugh and cheerfully narrate every move necessary to crack it. L drew on those memories now.

 _First, you take the faceplate off then you look closely at the wires and what they are connected to. Beware any brightly colored ones. They are likely to be trick wires that will activate a silent alarm and put the safe on lock down. Find the wire that connect the key pad and the lock. Carefully cut the end out of the key pad and connect it to the wire that connects to the microprocessor. And always remember that dynamite or C4 is for amateurs._

L finished hacking the safe's lock. The door beeped then swung open to reveal the safe's interior and a slender black leather-bound notebook.

L grabbed the notebook and then spoke softly: "Ryuk. If you can hear me, please join me. Don't tell Light where you are going or that you hear me. We need to talk."

"So you are alive. That is so interesting," an amused voice said behind L.

L turned to find Ryuk hovered a few feet away from him. The Shinigami had the wide red pupils of his kind set into a pale white face with black spiky hair that matched his black tunic and wings. He reminded L of a clown, something that had scared his fellow children at the orphanage, but that L found childish and boring.

"Yes. You can't see my life span?"

Ryuk nodded. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were a ghost."

L reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red apple.

"If I am ghost then this apple doesn't exist does it?"

Ryuk snatched the apple from L's hand and popped it into his mouth. He chewed noisely with an expression of relish on his face.

"So Shinigami really do love apples. I guess I shouldn't be surprised the Rem lied about that," L mused.

"No phantom apple could taste so juicy," Ryuk sighed. "So what do you want?"

"I am here because the Shinigami King sent me back. He wanted me to tell you not to intervene in what comes next. Light and I are not done fighting each other. I have been sent back to apprehend him and you are not to take a side," L said.

"You were sent back by the old man, huh? That explains a few things. Like how you now know Light is Kira," Ryuk mused.

"I knew Light was Kira from the moment we met. A handsome smart, well off student who just happens to be followed by an FBI agent who died shortly afterwards. Light's sort feel entitled to be the gods of the world. The only thing Light needs to feel more priveleged is royal blood. The reason Light was never arrested had nothing to do with my thoughts and everything to do with the lack of admissable evidence to convince a jury," L said bitterly.

"Well, you have got your evidence now," Ryuk said pointing to the notebook.

L shook his head. "No. I don't intend to take the death-note. It belongs to the task-force. I merely needed it to speak with you."

Ryuk raised an eyebrow and laughed. His skepticism was clear.

L put the notebook back into the safe and then carefully rewired it then replaced the face-plate.

"Is that proof enough of my intentions?"

Ryuk cocked his head. "Do you wish to die again?"

"The death-note can't kill me a second time," L informed Ryuk.

Ryuk laughed, "You sure about that?"

L was about to reply, but was interrupted by a squeak as the office door creaked open. Ryuk disappeared. L, however, had no time to hide before a man walked in.

With his thin black hair and slight, youthful frame, the detective's identity was unmistakable even before he turned the light on.

 _Matsuda, you idiot! What are you doing here?_

Matsuda blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light then froze when he spotted L.

"Ryuzaki! But you are_" He began.

"Were," L corrected.

"Dead," Matsuda finished. "You are dead."

L sighed. "Obviously, Matsuda if I am standing here, I am not dead."

Matsuda pulled out his pistol and pointed it at L, his hands shaking. "You are a zombie!"

"Matsuda! I am not a zombie! Zombie's don't exist! Put down your side-arm!" L snapped.

Matsuda instinctively lowered his fire-arm and hung his head. If any other task force member had been told that, they would have laughed and refused. Matsuda, however, was young and used to being scolded.

"How are you here?" Matsuda asked.

"I needed to get away from Light. I wasn't going to get any further in the investigation with Light watching my every move. So I faked my death," L said.

"And you are back because you know Light is innocent and you have found a different suspect," Matsuda exclaimed.

L shook his head, "I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Light is Kira. I am also not back. I simply came here to touch the notebook so I could speak with Ryuk. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I forgot my cell phone_" Matsuda began then he stopped. "Wait. Does this mean you have no intention of letting the rest of the task force know you are alive."

"Yes. It would also be helpful if you didn't tell anyone about this. They are all too close to Light. I also would prefer not to be the one to tell Mr. Yagami that his son is Kira," L replied.

"But what if we need you?" Matsuda pressed.

L frowned and cocked his head slightly. It took him a moment to recognize Matsuda's look. The look said that Matsuda had faith in L. A lot more faith then L was comfortable with.

L sighed. He should probably reprimand Matsuda for his naivety and then leave. But he just couldn't bring himself to wipe that look of child-like hope off Matsuda's face.

"In the unlikely event that you need me_and by need I mean someone would die without my personal involvement_then use the number I gave you before I left the task force."

Matsuda nodded then hesitated, "And you are sure that I can't tell the rest of the task force?"

"Yes, Matsuda. And remember do not contact me unless it is absolutely necessary."


	8. Kira Calls

"My name is John Macanroe. I am an agent with the FBI. Of course this is just an alias. As my assignment involves Kira, it is a necessary precaution."

L sat with Near and the rest of the SPK at a bank of computers. He, like them, wore a headset so they could listen in on "John Macanroe's" conversation. "Macanroe's" mission was to introduce the task force to the SPK. L and Near had both agreed that in order for L's plan to work, Kira must be under pressure. Pressure that was best provided by both Near and the SPK.

"Kira? Due to unforseen circumstances the director is unavailable. If it is exceptable, you can speak with me instead."

L recognized the voice. "Chief Inspector Yagami," L told Near.

"Very well, that is fine. Pardon me, I will get right to the point. The Japanese Police have proven themselves to be unreliable," John Macanroe began.

"Hmmm?"

"In order to solve the Kira case we want you to hand over the notebook to us," John Macanroe finished.

Everything was going better then planned. L and Near had hoped that news of the visitor would trickle down to the task force eventually. Now they didn't even have to wait. Neither of them believed that the task force would hand the notebook over, but news that someone was asking for it would set Light on the path to discovering the SPK.

Chief Yagami's next words sent the plan far off script. "Huh! So you are the ones behind it! Where is the director!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know! This is a serious criminal offense!"

"What would the FBI gain by kidnapping the director of the Japanese NPA!" Macanroe spluttered.

"Then how do you know about the notebook!"

"What is going on?" Rester muttered.

"By the sound it the director of the NPA has been kidnapped by someone. Specifically someone who wants the notebook," Near said.

He and L exchanged a look.

"Alright, Commander Rester," Near said. "Pass on this message through our agent. Suggest to the Japanese police that we would like to assist them with rescuing the director and apprehending the culprits. We will take the notebook once we have the opportunity."

"Roger that," Rester said.

He began to speak into his headset, "Attention this is headquarters. We have new orders for you."

Near and L left their seats, Near headed for his bag of toys in the corner while L grabbed a bag of round peppermints and began stacking them.

Lidner and Gevanni watched as Near began to set up rows of plastic army men and L's tower of peppermints began to grow tall.

"You both know who has the director," Lidner accused.

"Yes," Near and L both answered. Neither of them looked up.

"Well, who is it!" Gevanni demanded.

Near had set up three groups of army men. One group of black, another white, and a third brown. Near pointed at the black army men. "This is the group who kidnapped the director. All know about them is that they have the resources to kidnap the Japanese director of the NPA successfully and that they know about the notebook. There is only one man not in the SPK or the task force who could possibly know about the notebook: Mello. He is nearly as smart as I am but much more volatile.

"Mello was last seen in America where he disappeared into the criminal underworld. Which means that the American Mafia, under his leadership, now have the director," L concluded.

Neither of L nor Near mentioned Mello's origins. They were both Wammi's house children and the first rule of the secret school hidden inside Wammi's house was that no one could so much as suspect that Wammi's was anything but an ordinary orphanage. All the children selected for the program had to possess the ability to keep secrets as well as be a genuis. L lived in a world of secrets so his sucessors must as well.

Near pointed to the white army men, "This is the SPK. We want the notebook and so do the Mafia."

He then moved the brown army men so they were facing the black and white army men. "The brown army men are the task force. They are tainted by Kira's influence among them. They currently hold the notebook. Our best option is not to fight both the Mafia and the task force for the notebook. Our best option is to work with the task force. Sooner or later they will call and when they do we will help them."

"Near, we have an incoming call," Rester said. He shot a look at L then continued, "It is L"

"Patch it through the intercom," Near ordered.

"I have already heard what John Macanroe or should I say Larry Connors had to say to Deputy Director Yagami about the notebook currently in the possession of the Japanese police. Will you help us with the investigation into Director Takimura's murder?"

L rarely felt any emotions. He preferred to live in a world of cold logic. Hearing Light Yagami's filtered voice through the speaker and seeing his own stolen codename on the screens around him, however, L felt anger threatening to overwhelm him.

"Pass the phone to me," Near ordered.

Rester handed Near the phone.

"A pleasure to meet you at last L number two," Near said.

"Number two? What do you mean by that? Who is this?" Light asked.

"There is really no point in trying to hide it. We are a new organization known as the SPK or Special Provision for Kira. It was established to find and capture Kira without the help of L."

The real L found that statement to be ironic under circumstances. He popped a peppermint into his mouth and sucked on it to get the sour taste of it out of his mouth.

"Further more our top members already know of L's death," Near continued. "As for myself, I am at the center of the SPK. You can address me as N. I told you that we would not rely on L but that is an understatement. The FBI and CIA have specifically asked that I head the SPK not you. Having said that we are outraged by the recent murder of Director Takimura. I believe that solving this case could lead to the arrest of Kira as well so I am willing to lend you my full support."

The line went dead for a moment.

 _Light, you cannot seriously be thinking of rejecting the SPK's help. Kira would never pass up a chance to get close enough to murder someone hunting him?_ L thought.

"Is there a problem L?" Near asked.

"No, it is just that following the death of Takimura Deputy Director Yagami's daughter was kidnapped and we believe the same people are behind it. He is arranging for a trade in Los Angles."

Near glanced at L inquiringly.

L nodded. "Deputy Director Yagami has a daughter named Sayu. I saw her during my survelliance of the Yagami household. I never suspected her of being Kira, however. She simply wasn't bright enough."

Near turned back to microphone. "A trade? The girl in exchange for the notebook I assume."

"Yes," Light admitted.

"Understood. I will have a team on standby in L.A. but for now they will be working on a need to know basis. Also I can monitor the city via satellite_" Near began.

L cleared his throat then shook his head.

Near looked over at L for moment then nodded.

"Or...on second thought I will let you have full authority on this L," Near said then he signaled Rester to disconnect the call.

Rester did so and the SPK stared at L and Near in total silence.

L sighed and popped two peppermints into his mouth.

 _Here it comes. More questions to answer._ L thought.

"With all due respect, sir," Lidner began. "Why aren't we taking point on this one?"

"Because just as I am aware of Mello's movement, I am sure Mello is aware of mine. The minute the SPK starts moving, Mello will take notebook and go underground with the girl. He can use the girl to make Deputy Director Yagami and the task force do anything he wants, including misleading or cutting out the SPK entirely. All we would do is show all our resources to Kira without any gain," Near replied.

"My thoughts exactly," L concurred.

Gevanni looked from L to Near with wide eyes. "Do you two have telepathy or something? How can you both be thinking the same thing at the same moment?"

"I should think the answer would be obvious, Gevanni. You said it yourself. 'There are two of them now,'" L said.

Gevanni's eyes got wider, if that was possible.

L resisted the urge to smile. It wasn't just Gevanni's comic expression that was making him feel happy at the moment. It was Near.

L had never worked with another superintelligence before Light. He had experienced some happy moments with Light, but not many. Most of them had come when Light had forgotten that he was Kira. Even those, however, had been tainted with the knowledge that Light would like nothing better then to murder L. It was different with Near.

If Wattari had still been alive, L would have commended him on his success. Near was not a perfect copy of L, however, he was unnervingly close. Close enough to L to inherit his genuis, but far enough that he might become better then L in time.

L's happiness lasted until his phone vibrated in his pocket.

L pulled it out and said the name of the caller aloud, "Matsuda."

Holding it between his thumb and forefinger, L dangled the phone close to his right ear then answered the phone.

"L! I-mean-Ryuzaki. I-know-you-said-not-to-call-but-Sayu-and-the-Chief-are_" Matsuda gushed.

"Slow down, Matsuda. Take a deep breath," L ordered.

"Yes, Chie_I mean Ryuzaki!"

Several gasps rang through the speakers and then Matsuda began again, "Ryuzaki. Sayu has been kidnapped. She and the Chief are in grave danger!"

"I am already aware of Sayu's situation. Why is Mr. Yagami in danger though? They only demanded the death note. I doubt they will kill him," L replied.

"That is what Light told you. What he didn't say was that he strongly suspects that the kidnappers also want the Chief. They don't know how the death note works or that much about it. Light thinks they will take the Chief so that he could explain what the police have learned about the death note so far," Matsuda said.

L blinked. If it had been anyone other then Light with this theory, L might have dismissed it. Light, however, had an irritating of habit of being right all the time. Now that L considered the possibility, he realized that this was exactly what Mello was planning.

"I know you are a some kind of genuis so figure this out! Please, make sure the Chief and Sayu make it out of this alive!"Matsuda pleaded.

"I promise that I will do everything I can," L said.

Matsuda took another deep breath. "I need hang up. Izaowa is looking for me. Thank you so much. I know they are safe now."

"What are you going to do?" Near asked.

"Wouldn't it be better if Mello were working with SPK instead of competing with it?" L asked in return.

Near frowned for a moment then grinned. "With all three of us working together, catching Kira will be easier. But are you sure you want to take this risk? Mello can be quite_emotional and_"

"Genuises, please explain," Gevanni interjected.

"I am going to follow Mr. Yagami to the mafia. I am going to show myself to Mello."


	9. Mello's Meltdown

Mello held a slim black volume in his hands.

L imagined that Mello was probably thinking thoughts similiar to the ones L had when holding it the first time.

How could something so ordinary looking be so evil? Could it really be that something so benign as writing a person's name in a notebook could kill them? And of course, how does the death note work?

L knew he must show himself soon. But it wasn't the mafia members around Mello, lounging on couches or cleaning their weapons that made L hesitate. Mello needed a moment with the death note. It was moment all people who came to possess a death note had go through. The moment that would determine if they would use the death note to kill or reject it entirely.

L watched as Mello flipped the deathnote open and read the rules. He then looked at the names. After a second or two, however, Mello closed the notebook. He didn't reach for a pen. That meant there was still hope for him.

"Congradulations. You now possess a death note. Now what will you do with it?" L said.

Mello whirled around to stare at L in shock. The mafia members pointed their guns at him.

"Where did you come from?" One demanded.

Another lowered his gun and laughed. "It is a kid. Some dumb kid sneeked past our security."

The rest of the mafia blinked and lowered their guns. L didn't look like a threat that required a firearm. L ignored them and watched Mello.

Mello for his part was studying L with wide eyes.

"So you decided throw in with Near, Ryuzaki. What did he send you here to do? Steal the notebook? He kept on eye you after you washed out, didn't he," Mello said.

"I didn't wash out Mello. I simply had no more time to spend there. So I left."

Mello gasped as he finally realized just who he was looking at.

"Mello, who is this kid?" the mafia boss demanded.

Mello turned to the mafia boss for moment. His mouth moved several times without sound coming out. When he finally managed to speak, it was in a hoarse whisper, "Someone from my past who should not be here. I need to speak to him and find out why he snuck past security to speak to me."

"Ok," One of the mafia members said and then he reached for L.

L lashed out with his feet in a blur of motion and in seconds the man was on the floor gasping.

"I have been in handcuffs too many times this week. I will go where you direct me, but lay a hand on me and you will be sorry."

The mafia members now looked uneasy. They recognized trained reflexes when they saw them.

Mello held up a hand, "Leave Ryuzaki to me. This is just a personal matter. After all my service to you, I have earned that much right?"

The boss nodded. "You and the kid can have some privacy. Just pick a place."

Mello nodded. He still looked dazed, "Ryuzaki, if you will follow me."

L followed Mello into the room next door.

It contained only a table and three chairs. Bound to one of those chairs by ropes was the crumpled form of Sochioro Yagami. His brown suit was rumpled, his hair was more grey then L remembered, but the same broad honest face remained.

"You are L," Mello stated.

"Yes," L said simply.

"WHY?" Mello exploded.

"Why?" L echoed.

"Why let everyone think you died! Why tell Wammi's that you were dead!" Mello roared.

L gave a mental sigh. Mello was quite brilliant. If only he didn't let his emotions rule his intellect.

"You don't want to know the answer," L said simply.

"I think I do!" Mello snapped.

"I died. That is why."

"Don't lie to me!" Mello shouted.

"I didn't. If you would just call down and think you would realize that," L said.

Mello bit his lip and took a deep breath. "What is stopping me from going next door and admitting to the mafia that you are L?"

"Because you don't want me dead. That is how it would end. I will never agree to serve the mafia," L replied.

Mello clenched his fists and finally deflated. "Why are you here, L?"

"I am here because I failed," L said.

Mello blinked, "What?"

"I failed to catch Kira on my own. Despite the taskforce, I fought Kira alone and in the dark. I now know that was a mistake. I need you and Near with me," L said.

And not just to catch Kira. I left my successors unprepared and divided. I don't know how long my second chance will last and I must make the most of it, L thought.

"You want both of us."

L nodded. "Mello, regardless of which one of you I choose, the other will still be a detective. My hope is that I will leave behind, not just another L, but also another detective like him. I wish to leave the world better off then when I entered it. I want you to join Near and the SPK."

"Really? after all I did. Isn't joining the mafia a bit out of line?" Mello demanded.

"You are not like the mafia, Mello. You joined them because it was easier to use the fear Kira had created in criminals rather then find the few good people who would risk their lives against him. I know that. It is not fear that will defeat Kira, however. The SPK has the best chance of defeating him, but only if you, me, and Near work together," L said.

Mello frowned. "First I need to know for certain you are L. Fortunately, I have a way to confirm for certain. Mr. Yagami here was on the task force L used to hunt Kira with. If anyone can confirm your story, it is him."

L looked across at Mr. Yagami to see he was stirring.

L appeared calm, but inwardly he was torn. The last task force member he wanted to see him was Mr. Yagami and that included Light. He didn't want to do it. He didn't want to explain the truth to Mr. Yagami. Having seen how Mr. Yagami reacted when Light was in custody as a suspect, L knew the knowledge would destroy him utterly.

He wanted to tell Mello not to do this. To plead with him. It was already too late, however. Mello had already left the room and Mr. Yagami was already stirring.

L had no choice.

As he sat waiting for Mr. Yagami to awaken fully, L realized that for the first time he could remember, he was terrified. Kira and the prospect of instant death had failed to terrify L. Even when he was dying, L had been annoyed instead of terrified. He had a feeling that dying was going to be easier then what he was about to do.


	10. Light Yagami is Dead

Mr. Yagami's eyes flew open and he tried to stand up, but the ropes kept him sitting down in the chair. He frowned at them and pulled against the ropes in an attempt to stretch them.

"That won't do anything, Mr. Yagami. Even if you got the ropes off, we are surrounded by mafia," L said.

Mr. Yagami turned his head and slumped when he saw L sitting there.

"I am dead. There is no other way you could be sitting here like this," Mr. Yagami said.

"Like what, Mr. Yagami? You have never given me any trouble about how I sit before."

"I mean alive. You died. I saw it happen," Mr. Yagami answered.

"I don't have time to get into to it now, but the short version is 'I am not dead'," L said.

"But why didn't you let the task force know you were alive? Surely we deserved to know," Mr. Yagami demanded.

"You know why I couldn't. I couldn't let Kira know."

"You still think Light is Kira. Light was cleared. The rules in the notebook itself cleared him!" Mr. Yagami said.

"I don't think Light is Kira. I know he is Kira. The rule that cleared Light was fake. It is no coincidence that I died right before the rule could be tested. A rule that would either clear Light once and for all or prove once and for all that he is Kira. The timing couldn't have been more perfect," L said gently.

"My son is not Kira. He is not capable of it," Mr. Yagami insisted.

"You are correct. Light Yagami is not Kira. He was one of Kira's first victim. The Death Note tempted your Light to write the first two names to see if it was real. Once the notebook was proved to be real, Kira was in control. He used Light's hatred of injustice, a fundamentally good quality, to prompt him to write names in the notebook. Kira also used Light's biggest weakness, pride, to suggest that Light was not only doing what was right, but that he was the only who could do it and that anyone who opposed him is evil. Your son died a long time ago, Mr. Yagami," L said.

Mr. Yagami stared at L open mouthed.

"I know that you think I don't know Light well, but I spent weeks handcuffed to him. At that point, Light was actually himself. Without Kira's memories, Light was free to be himself, a good man. If Light had never been allowed to touch the death note again, he would have stayed that way. Kira's reappearance is all my fault. I should never have let Light handle the Death Note. For that I ask your forgiveness," L admitted.

"You think Light is dead?" Mr. Yagami asked, sounding stricken.

L nodded.

The two sat in silence for moment. Mr. Yagami's face was a myriad of emotions as he struggled with L's words and L was expressionless. He waited for the yelling to start, the angry denials. The longer the silence stretched the more L tensed inwardly as he waited for the explosion with closed eyes.

Then he heard it. A sob.

L opened his eyes to see tears streaming down Mr. Yagami's face. The man's body shook.

"Light...my son...Light," He said.

L turned away. Most displays of effection were a mystery to him, but this one felt downright awkward. He wished he had a tissue for Mr. Yagami.

"L_" Mr. Yagami began.

L turned back to him and braced himself.

"_thank you."

Not even L could control his bafflement at this.

"For what?" L asked.

"For helping me find closure. Ever since you told me Light was a suspect, I have been struggling. How could I catch Kira and still be Light's father? Now I know and once Kira is dead, maybe I can mourn Light properly, L."

"Call me, Ryuzaki. We are still surrounded by the Mafia and neither of us is getting out of here alive if they realize my true identity," L said. "Speaking of which. Mello, we need to discuss how we are getting out of here alive."

Mello, who had just slipped into the room, frowned. "It is not like I can just order them to let us go. I have made myself to valuable and I know too much for them to just let me go. That is without getting into how to get you two out as well. We also have the notebook to consider. We can't leave it with the mafia."

"Mello, have you made contact with the Shinigami who owns the notebook," L asked.

Mello looked at the corner behind L and shuddered. "He is right behind you. Seems to find you in particular quite interesting."

"Give the notebook back to him. We already have the notebook with Kira to deal with. It is best that this one is out of play," L instructed.

Mello held the notebook out gingerly.

"Take it!" He said to the air.

The notebook floated for an instant as the unseen Shinigami took hold of it and then it vanished.

"We need to leave quickly. I can only make excuses about where the notebook went for so long before the mafia realize it is gone forever," Mello warned.

"If I know Kira at all, he has already managed to find the mafia's location. He will then send the task force on a raid. They will rescue Mr. Yagami. You and I need only escape in the confusion."

As if to prove L's point, a mafia member burst into the room.

"Mello, there are armed police men descending on the base! What do we do?" He cried.

Mello seized L's arm.

"Scatter. They can't kill an enemy who isn't there. We will meet at the prepared rendevous point. I will hold on to Ryuzaki to make sure he doesn't try to get away," Mello said.

"What about Yagami?"

Mello sneered at him. "Leave him to distract the task force. We have no use for him anymore and shooting a cop will just put pressure on us."

The mafia member nodded and disappeared.

L twisted in Mello's grip. "Matsuda accidentally found out that I am alive. If he doesn't keep his mouth shut and slips up then it won't just be me dead this time."

Mr. Yagami nodded. "I will do my best. Go quickly."

L allowed Mello to pull him along. Most mafia members barely gave them a second glance. They were too busy trying to save their own lives to care. They were almost out of the building before they encountered trouble.

A black clad figure appeared at the end of the hall. He looked like a huge bug with his black bulky body armor and helmet with a visor. He gripped a black M16 in both hands and moved with a swinging gait as he moved from door to door. Fortunately, the figure hadn't spotted L and Mello yet.

The pair darted into the nearest room and immediately realized that they had chosen the wrong room to hide in. There wasn't a stick of furniture to hide behind or even a potted plant.

The sound of the SWAT member's steps came closer and the pair knew they had no time to find another hiding place.

L searched the walls in desperation and spotted a crack in the wall to their right. He pointed to it Mello helped him wrench it open, revealing a small walk-in closet filled with shelves of white powder. They stepped into the closet and shut the door seconds before the SWAT member entered the room.

L tensed as the sound of heavy boots echoed around the room. He almost wished that he and Mello had run for it. Being found in a mafia outpost with a closet full of Cocaine was going to be hard to explain.

Heavy breathing alerted L just before the closet started to slide open. He adopted a ready stance. The only possible way to avoid disaster at this point was for L to knock the man out before he got a good look at L or Mello. L would have a half second window in which to strike and if the man didn't go down that quickly then his entire plan would go up in smoke.

A radio crackled, causing L to jump.

"Alpha 9, we have located Deputy Chief Sochioro Yagami. He claims the package is not in the building. No sign of the suspect known as Mello?"

"This is Alpha 9. Be advised that I have cleared the last hall way and there is no sign of the suspect. I am making my way to your position now," The SWAT team member said into the radio.

It was only after Alpha 9 left the room that L and Mello started to breathe again.

"That was too close," Mello said.

L nodded in agreement.


	11. Haunted Headquarters

L and Near sat watching the task force on a computer screen, Near with his wind-up toys and L with his tea and sugar cubes.

A day or so after the attack on the Mafia building, L had contacted the last two member of the task force to bring them in on the plan. His ears were still ringing from Izaowa's rebuke. Unable to tell the truth, L had stuck to the same lie he told Matsuda. Izaowa, of course, was less forgiving then Matsuda and took L to task for abandonning them and leaving them under Kira's control. L had to admit that the lie did make him sound like a jerk. In the end, however, L could hear Izaowa's relief at L's return and the detective didn't object to bugging and placing security camera's around task force headquarters so that L could keep an eye on things.

With all the task force members with the exclusion of Light in on the secret, it was time to put the plan in place.

L fixed his eyes on Matsuda. This first part of the plan was dependent upon the young detective. L just hoped picking him wouldn't prove to be a mistake.

Light entered the room with a white paper cup of coffee in hand.

Matsuda looked up from the computer he sat at. "Shouldn't you be going home soon, Light? Has Misa called yet?"

Light smiled and shook his head, "Misa has already called about five times, but she isn't even home yet. I just wanted to review Kira's latest list of victims. Maybe there is a pattern I can find."

As Light spoke, L searched his face for any sign of deception and as usual found nothing. Light really did have a good poker face. It had been that lack of deception that first caused L to give Light a second look.

Light started to turn away, but then he did exactly what L had known he would. He glanced at Matsuda's computer screen. The computer screen that was currently running the security footage from the night of L's break in.

A small start was all the surprise that Light showed. He set down his cup of coffee and pointed at the footage.

"What are you doing?" He asked casually.

"Oh, uh. I just misplaced this security footage a week ago. I am looking through it for anything suspicious. Haven't found anything, though," Matsuda said.

L wanted to reach through the computer screen and shake Matsuda. The young detective was being far too obivous about the whole thing. If Matsuda blew it now, he could ruin everything.

Light, however, seemed to take Matsuda's nervousness as anxiety over his mistake. He clapped a hand on Matsuda's shoulder.

"Why don't you let me finish going over that? I can look over the list of victims later," Light said.

Matsuda laughed, "Alright! Thanks!"

L watched for a moment as Light stared at the footage and started typing in code. He was trying to see if the footage was genuine.

L smiled and then turned to another screen.

Mello's face dominated it as he finished fixing the last security camera in Light's apartment. A part from leaving camera's in Light's apartment, Mello would toss the apartment to make it obvious that someone had been in it. The notebooks Mello would pile together on the floor would lead Light to the conclusion that the intruder was looking for the death note.

Satisfied that the other phase of his plan was going smoothly, L turned his attention to Near for the third prong of today's attack on Light.

Near caught L's look.

"Lidner, hand me a phone," He ordered.

Lidner blinked, but took a phone from the counter in front of the computers and handed it to Near.

L's eyes returned to the screen as Near dialed.

Light jumped a bit when the phone rang, but his face soon returned to its normal calm, collected mask and he looked at the display.

"It is N," He said.

Izaowa and the other task force members, including Mr. Yagami, who had been lurking in the background per L's instructions, came to stand by Light's laptop. Light answered the phone and a Calligraphic letter N appeared on his laptop screen at the same time.

"L number two, the SPK has investigated the Mafia and come to the conclusion that the mafia have no connection with Kira. It therefore makes no sense to pursue this lead any further," Near said.

Light frowned. "But that man we identified, Mello. He knew about the death note. He has to be connected to Kira. We need to find him."

"No, he doesn't have to be connected with Kira. The task force knew about the notebook as well and it is not like the original L never suspected the task force of having leaks," Near replied.

It had been so long since the day L had begun to suspect someone with a connection to the police that it took L a moment to remember the circumstances. L had revealed that he suspected a student due to the timing of Kira's murders and the day after he did, the timing had changed so that a criminal died every hour on the hour. L had known then that Kira had access to classified information.

"Are you saying that we can't be trusted?" Mr. Yagami demanded.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying," Near said coldly.

"So we are on our own with Mello. Fine, it is not like you have given us any reason to trust the SPK either," Light snapped then he ended the call.

Lidner frowned and took the phone back from Near.

"What was that all about?" She asked.

Near picked up a red wind-up car and began to turn the key at the back.

"What do you know about playing chess, Lidner?" L asked.

Lidner blinked.

"Not much," She admitted, "If I had to pick a board game to play it would be checkers. I don't like sitting around."

L grabbed several sugar cubes, lined a few up in a straight line then created another line behind that with the cubes from the second line touching the cubes from the first. He spoke as he did this, "A good chess player knows that the first few moves of the game are about setting the direction the game will go. That is what we are doing now with Kira."

Near finished winding up his toy and set it on the floor. He watched as it rolled across the floor, its key spinning.

"The first phase of the plan is all about pressure. We need Light to suspect that he might be going insane. This will be accomplished by pressuring him with the knowledge that there is a detective out there who somehow got a hold of L's notes. That will be combined with L's 'ghost'. The security tape was just the beginning Due to Matsuda's lack of reaction to my image on the video tape, Light will assume he is just imaging it. Especially when we replace it later with an identical tape without me in it."

"But why would Light think you have L's notes?" Lidner asked.

"Because I talked about L suspecting a leak in the task force. While it is possible that I could get a hold of information from the FBI that L suspected the NPA, no one outside the task force knew that L thought there was a leak or a suspect in the task force itself. L never told anyone but the task force that he suspected Light. For all Kira knows right now, L could have sent me some kind of message telling me about his prime suspect for Kira. If I wasn't a threat before I am now," Near replied.

L held up a hand to silence Lidner.

"Play that back," He requested.

Gevanni who had been sitting at the computer watching the exchange typed in a few commands and then the footage from a few minutes ago played.

"If you ask me, this whole situation with N is a little sketchy. The mafia suddenly know about the death note and try to grab it. N and his SPK do nothing to help. We identify a suspect and ask them to help us find and question him. N calls back a few days later to say he won't help with that either. How do we know that this N isn't working with Mello and the mafia? The SPK did ask for the death note the moment they showed up," Light said.

"N working with the mafia? For what purpose?" Mr. Yagami asked, sounding baffled.

"He could be Kira himself. I doubt Kira wants anyone else to possess a death note. The whole thing could have been a hoax to get the death note," Light answered.

L took a sip of tea and then added a few more sugar cubes to it.

Well, that had been quick. L had expected this response, but he had assumed Light would wait until there were more ties between Mello and Near before suggesting it.

The task force would do as L asked. They would pretend to work hard to find Near, but would quietly get nowhere until the time was right.

L looked at a calendar on the wall. Tomorrow was Halloween.

L had never put on a costume for the occasion or gone trick or treating, but tomorrow he would play the role of a ghost.

L sighed. He would play his role well, for his life and his investigation depended on it, but he wished that he could get a basket full of candy for it. Sadly, L would have to do the trick without the treat.

I wonder, Kira, do you believe in ghosts? L thought.


	12. Spook on the Bus

Light's phone rang for what felt like the hundreth time that day even though it was not quite ten am. He looked down to see that it was Misa calling, again. How did she get the time to call him so much? With all the modeling, singing, and acting she did, Misa should be occupied all day.

Light pressed the button and answered. "Misa, I told you, I am in the middle of_"

"Light, there is this man here and he wants to talk to you," Misa sobbed. "He is holding a gun to my head."

"Light, is it? Nice to know the name of the famous L. Though I imagined it to be less cleashe. Listen to me. I want everything you have and know about Kira in exchange for your girlfriend here," a voice said over the phone.

Light stiffened. He recognized the voice.

"Mello is it?"

"Nice to be recognized. Put all the information on paper and in an envelope. Board the 11:30 bus bound for Spaceland from the east station. You will receive further instructions on the bus. No police or law enforcement officers or the girl dies," Mello said.

"What_" Light began then frowned.

Mello had already hung up.

L, watching this exchange from SPK headquarters, took a sip of his vanilla latte with ten sugars. He kept his eyes on Light as Mr. Yagami approached.

"Light, is something wrong?" He asked.

Light grimaced.

L could see the wheels turning in his head as he considered whether or not to involve the task force.

If Light didn't involved the task force, he was free to act as Kira. He could kill Mello and make it look like an accident.

On the other hand, Light couldn't be everywhere at once and if the task force found out Light went to confront Misa's kidnapper alone then they might suspect him.

He will tell them, L thought.

"Mello has abducted Misa," Light said.

Matsuda's eyes widened. "Why? We don't have the death note anymore. What does he want?"

"All the information we have on Kira. He wants me to get on the 11:30 bus bound for Spaceland from the east station with the information," Light replied.

Even as Light spoke L could see Kira behind Light's face making calculations. He was trying to decide if saving Misa was worth giving up information on himself.

It took L a moment to recognize the icky feeling in the back of his brain. It was digust. L felt disgusted by Kira.

It hadn't taken L long after he knew Rem loved Misa to know that Light had only kept Misa around because of Rem. Light had placed himself in confinement and erased his memory along with Misa, not out of love, but because Rem must have threatened him. If not for Rem, Misa would have been dead shortly after she met Kira.

But Misa could never have dreamed that Kira would harm her. She had resisted days of interrogation from L because she loved Kira. L had grown to grudgingly respect that love. To see it trampled on and perverted by Kira left a bitter taste in his mouth that even his latte couldn't banish.

"What are we going to do about it?" Izaowa asked.

A smile tugged at the corner of Light's mouth and L knew that if he had been alone, Light would have been laughing as well as smiling. Light always gloated when he knew he was winning.

"Mello doesn't know that we have had contact with the SPK. We will ask N for his help."

Near set down a toy bus and held out his hand for the phone seconds before it began to ring.

"L, what a pleasant surprise. I got the impression during our last conversation that you were unhappy with me," Near said.

"I don't have to like you to work with you. The girl-friend of a task force member has just been abducted by the man you so casually dismissed. Mello wants all our information on Kira in exchange for her. You told us that Mello had no connection with Kira," Light said.

L put a hand to one of his ears. The audio from the bugs inside the room were still playing along with the audio from the phone. Light's normal voice came from the bugs while his disguised voice came from the phone. It was distracting to hear both.

L reached out a hand and pushed the mute button on the computer running the audio from the bugs.

"When I said that, I meant he was not working with Kira. This request does not prove Mello is working with Kira. He might be trying to find Kira in hopes of obtaining another death note or he might want to turn Kira in. Either way, Mello is none of the SPK's concern. He will not lead us to Kira," Near said.

"He wants information on Kira. He is looking for Kira. Isn't that enough for the SPK?"

Near said nothing for a moment as if thinking about what Light was saying. He looked at L who nodded.

"Very well, the SPK will take point on this one. None of your taskforce will get involved. Mello will be watching for them," Near said.

"Sure," Light said then paused.

"Well, what is your plan?" Light demanded.

Near smiled. "The less you know about the SPK's movements, the less you can give away by accident. The SPK will catch Mello our way."

Light started to speak again, but Near hung up on him.

L quickly pushed the button to unmute the bugs in task force headquarters.

He didn't need to hurry.

Silence reigned in headquarters. The task force members watched Light who sat with a blank expression on his face.

"You got under his skin," L noted.

Near, who had gone back to playing with his toy bus, looked up and studied Light for a moment. "Interesting. He doesn't appear to be peeved."

"Light doesn't yell or glare when he is angry. He works to keep his expression blank and still. The stillness is what gives him away. Light is so busy plotting murder in his head that he fails to realize how long the stillness goes on," L said.

Near nodded and rolled his toy bus across the floor.

Hours later, L lay down in the back of Gevanni's Silver Honda. L didn't like laying down like this. It made him feel vunerable. That was why he didn't lay down even in the rare moments he was sleeping. But it was necessary for him to lie down this time. It would look suspicious if Gevanni's car had one person in it before the bus left and suddenly two in the middle of the street.

"The last person is boarding the bus_it is Light Yagami," Lidner said from her position across the street.

Trying to see get a look at all the other passengers, Light? Smart, L thought.

He waited a few moments and then stretched out his arms to reach the handle of the car door. Pulling it open, L slid carefully out and army crawled over to the bus. He rose up to a crouch when he was a foot or so away from the edge of the bus. His long white fingers slid over the metal, seeking for a crack. In seconds, his fingers found a crack, which betrayed the edge of a panel the SPK had discretely cut in the back of the bus, specially for his use.

L quietly removed the panel and found himself in the miniscule space between the backseat of the bus and the emergency door. He replaced the panel carefully and then peeked over the edge of the seat. The bus began to move forward with a lurch, but L kept his footing.

Good. Everyone was focused on a screen or looking out the window. Light himself was scrutinizing the other passengers. No one cared about the empy back seat, L was currently hiding behind.

L pulled himself over the back of the seat and sat down.

Light still hadn't noticed that the seat behind him was suddenly occupied by someone. He was eyeing a middle aged man a few seats up, probably trying to figure out if he was Mello.

"This is where you met Raye Pember. He sat in this exact seat with no idea what you were planning," L said.

Light nearly jumped two feet out of his seat. He spun around to look at L with wide eyes.

L resisted a smile. It was nice to know that even Kira's calm composure could be broken.

"That was the point of all those experiments you conducted. You needed to see how much you could control a victim before he died," L continued.

"You are dead," Light whispered.

L didn't correct Light. It wasn't time for Light to know that L still lived. This was a ghostly visit not a fleshly one.

"The bus hijacking that occured a week before Raye Pember died. You arranged all of it. You wrote down the hijacker's name in the death note with very specific instructions. He was to board the bus near the east entrance to Spaceland and hold a gun to the driver's head. This allowed you to pretend you were going to do something stupid to get Raye Pember to use his FBI badge to stop you. You knew he had been following you for days and no longer suspected you were Kira. You knew he would show the badge to you in the right situation," L said.

"What are you talking about? L, I am not Kira," Light protested.

L shook his head, "Even in death, you cannot be honest with me. Would you like me to tell you what happened next? You then dropped a small piece of the death note in a way that the nervous hijacker would notice. He picked the note up to read it and when he did, he was suddenly able to see the Shinigami following you. The sight of the Shinigami panicked him into firing wildly. Unable to kill the Shinigami, the hijacker fled the bus at the exact time you specified only to be hit by a car. With Raye Pember's name, it was easy to kill the other twelve FBI agents."

"You have to be a figament of my imagination. The real L never knew that. If he had then L would have been sure of my guilt. The only person Raye Pember told about the bus jacking had to have been his Fiance," Light said.

"Raye Pember didn't tell me about it because he felt that it had nothing to do with the Kira case. He did, however, write an extensive report for his FBI bosses. He didn't name you in the report, though. I had access to that report. Without proof that Kira could kill in ways other then heart-attacks and your name, however, it would never have been enough to convict you," L replied. "You found out Raye Pember's name and used his fiance to threaten him into_"

Light shook his head. "You are wrong about that, L. I didn't know about Raye Pember's fiance when I used him to kill his co-workers. Naomi Misora died because she confided her suspicions about the bus jacking to me and I tricked her into thinking I was working for you to get her name. Kira doesn't kill or threaten innocent people. The irony is if she had spoken to you instead of me then you would have won and I'd be dead instead of you. The important thing for you to remember, L, is that you lost. You have no power over me. You are dead."

The bus lurched to a stop at a red light. Light looked forward for a brief moment to see why the bus had stopped.

L seized this moment to climb back behind the seat and climb out the panel at the back of the bus.

He then army crawled back to Gevanni's car, which sat two cars behind the bus. Opening the door, L slid back into the backseat and then shut it.

L wished he had a camera on Light right know. His reaction to L's sudden dissappearance would have been interesting to say the least.


	13. Shinigami Love Apples

"I don't understand. Why did we risk exposing ourselves just to get this?" Lidner asked, throwing the report down in disgust.

L added some more chocolate sauce to his shake. He stirred it in as he answered, "The report was never the point. We needed to get Kira on that bus. The trick Mello used with the metro is the same one he used. By this point, Kira knows that both Mello and Near know more then they should. He has also seen my "ghost" twice now. Kira thinks he is hallucinating. We also got very useful evidence from my visit. Kira thought I was a ghost so he was willing to give away some of his secrets. Ghosts can't wear a wire afterall. The evidence we gathered is not enough to convict Kira, but it is a start."

The sound of breaking chocolate echoed through the room as Mello took a bite, "I still don't get why you sent me instead of Near."

"We need Kira to think that you are emotional and impulsive, Mello. This will be important in phase 2 of the plan," L replied.

Mello took another bite of chocolate and swallowed it, "I don't understand how you can be so cold, L. Kira has already killed you once. What does it take to make you angry?"

"It is not that I don't feel anger. When I think of how Kira killed Watari, of my only friend gasping out his life as he tried in vain to save me, I feel a terrible rage building behind my eyes. Yet, it doesn't have to control me. All that grief, rage, and pain becomes the lens through which I focus my mind. If I still live after Kira is gone, then there will be a time for emotions. But it is not the present," L replied.

Silence descended on the room.

Everyone, with the exception of Near, stared at L who keep his eyes on his shake.

The moment was broken by the sound of Mr. Yagami's voice.

"L, I have the note with me. Sakura TV turned it over with little protest. I am about to bring it to him now."

L pushed a button, "Thank you Mr. Yagami."

He took a long sip from his shake then got up to sit behind the computer screens. The next few minutes should be interesting.

"Kira has been in contact with Sakura TV," Mr. Yagami announced as he entered task force headquarters.

While the rest of the detectives clustered around Mr. Yagami to read the note, Light sat at his computer. L couldn't see his rival's expression, but he guessed that Light was getting a handle on his shock so he didn't give anything away.

Sure enough, Light looked surprised as he approached Mr. Yagami, but not too surprised. It was not out of the question that Kira should contact Sakura TV again unless you were Kira and knew you'd done no such thing.

"The words are familiar, but I can't place them," Matsuda said.

Light took the note from his father and read it. "Let me help you, Matsuda. These are the exact words that L got from decoding the suicide notes of criminals Kira killed. 'L do you know? Gods of death who love apples.' But there is an extra three words to this message. 'have red hands.' and the who is added as well."

L could see the gears turning in Light's head as he said this. Only Light knew that the note he now held was identical to the one L had used to trick him into revealing that he knew about the suicide notes. Logically, this meant that only L could have sent this message. But how? L was dead. The note couldn't be a hallucination either. The task force could clearly see it.

"Come on, Light. Figure it out," L muttered.

"You guys can handle this one. I have got a lead on Mello," Light said.

Aizawa frowned, "Can't it wait?"

Light shook his head and stood up, "This lead is time sensitive. Mello could lead us to Kira. More importantly he kidnapped my girl-friend. He is going to pay for that."

"Gevanni, stay close to him. Do whatever you have to, but don't lose him," L said.

Near paused in playing Mancala just long enough to push a button on his computer and activate the bug Mello had placed on Light's suit when he broke in to Light's house.

"He is coming to a stop. We are just outside the Kanto Region Prosecutor's Office," Gevanni said.

"So you picked a prosecutor, Kira. How ironic," L muttered.

"He is getting out and going into the prosecutor's office," Gevanni noted.

"Stay outside and wait for further instructions," Near ordered.

"I am here to see Taru Mikami," Light said.

The audio from the bug was loud and clear. Good.

"Sir, do you have an appointment," a woman's voice asked.

Has to be a secretary.

"I have urgent information for Mikami regarding in the case he is working on. Tell him I have information for him on a notebook," Light replied.

Nice turn of phrase. Anyone who didn't know about the death note would never realize you were Kira. L thought.

The audio was quiet for a moment then the secretary returned.

"Sir, Mr. Mikami will see you now," She said.

L took a long drink of shake. He reveled in the wonderful taste of sugar.

"How can you do that at a time like this?" Lidner asked.

L shrugged, "If I didn't eat at times like this then I would never eat. Most of my moments since becoming L have been like this."

"When was that?" Mello asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"At age eight."

Lidner blinked. "You have to be joking. What was your first case?"

"That is still classified. All I can say is that had I failed there would have been a World War III followed by a nuclear holocaust," L said.

Lidner stared at L as he continued to slurp his shake. Mello scrutinized L as he took another bite of chocolate bar. Only Near didn't react. His attention was on his game.

A loud knock on the door brought everyone's attention back to the audio streaming from the bug.

"Come in," a deep male voice said.

Has to be Mikami, L thought.

A door creaked open.

"God! To what do I owe this honor?" Mikami asked, his tone reverent.

L rolled his eyes.

You really do pick the most fanatical and stupid people to be the second Kira, Light. If Light had been a normal detective here to talk with him about some ordinary notebook involved in the case, Mikami would have just revealed himself to be the second Kira. L thought.

"You have done well, Mikami. I am here because I need to see your death note," Light said.

"Why?" Mikami asked.

"A lackey of mine was supposed to kill a certain someone with the notebook before I gave it to you. I want to confirm that he is dead," Light said.

"Of course, God," Mikami said.

The sound of turning pages could be heard dimly through the bug.

L could picture Light turning the pages Rem's death note. He watched as Light's finger went down the page looking for the name just under Watari's real name Quillish Wammi.

"It is smudged," Light said in puzzlement.

"What does that mean, God?" Mikami asked.

"It means someone is alive who shouldn't be."

"Can't you just use the death note to delete them?"

"No, this particular someone keeps his name secret. Mikami, give me your cell-phone number. You need to be ready at moments notice to come and get his name for me. Now I have to leave before the task force gets suspicious."


	14. Wammi's House

"Phase 1 of the plan is finished. Now is the time to move on to Phase 2," L began.

"Wait. Am I the only one who is confused at this point?" Lidner asked.

Mello regarded her levelly as he crumpled up the wrapper of the chocolate bar he had just finished and began to unwrap another. Near dropped a few more stones into his mancola set and picked more up. He didn't even look at Lidner. L took the opportunity to take another sip of shake.

"Of course, I am. The rest of you are genuises," Lidner muttered.

"What is the problem?" L asked.

"The problem is that you spent all that effort convincing Kira you were a ghost then you sent that note to headquarters, something a ghost couldn't do it. You practically told him you were alive," Lidner said.

L nodded. "If Light didn't entertain the possibility that I might still be alive then he would never have checked the other death note and led us to the second Kira. It was necessary."

"But now if you show up, he won't give anything away," Lidner pointed out.

"It was never my intention for Kira to confess everything to my 'ghost'. Light is much too intelligent for that one to work. Besides, we need him to know that I am alive," L said. "Right now, Kira is scrambling. He doesn't know where I have been for a year or so and what I might have done in that period. Then there is the whole 'ghost' tactic we have been pursuing up to this point. Was I trying to get him to confess as you thought or did I have another reason for it? What Kira knows for certain though is that he can't afford to leave me be. So he will be coming for Near and Mello."

"What? I thought you said Kira would be after you," Lidner said.

"Part of phase 1 was setting up a link between Near and Mello. Near's reluctance to pursue Mello followed by the SPK's inability to detain him after the situation with Misa has established that quite well. Kira will know it is no coincidence that they appeared shortly before my 'ghost' began to show up and haunt him. Therefore there has to be a link between Near, Mello, and I. The way to find me is to find them," L explained.

Lidner blinked and L watched as the meaning sunk in to her brain.

"Phase 2 will be focused on Near and Mello. Kira doesn't yet know if the entire task force knows I am alive. So far the only one suspect in his eyes will be Matsuda. I need to talk with Wammi's about possibily borrowing a graduate for this part."

"You need to go there," Near said.

"Unneccessary, I just have to ask over the phone_" L began.

"No. You need to go there," Near repeated.

L frowned. "I don't get your meaning."

"I think I understand what Near means. For once we are on the same page," Mello said.

L looked from one to the other of his successors. "I really don't like not being in the loop."

Lidner snorted. "So now he knows how it feels."

"You know exactly what we mean, L," Near said. "Don't pretend."

L sighed.

"So you really think that I am that suicidal. That the reason I haven't gotten busy reconnecting to my base of power is because I don't intend to survive this investigation. You think guilt over Watari might get to me at a bad moment and tempt me. So you want a reason for me to stick around," He said.

Mello chopped loudly on his chocolate bar.

"Exactly," He said around a mouthful of chocolate.

"Have either of you considered that my second chance might not extend beyond the capture of Kira? I know nothing about the way I was brought back nor how long I will stay living. Maybe I just want everyone to be prepared for the worst," L said.

"And if you decide to end your second chance before the Shinigami King has a chance then you might feel that you at least thumbed your nose at him. Go to Wammi's house. If for no other reason then that you owe it to Watari. Phase 2 of the plan doesn't require your participation. Your absence won't compromise the plan," Near replied.

L slurped the last of his shake then grimaced.

"Wonder if there any ice cream stands on the way to the air-port," He muttered.

L looked out the window of the plane at the twinkling lights far below.

London. We are nearly there, L thought.

Going back to Wammi's house, L couldn't help, but think of its founder, Quillish Wammi also known as Watari.

It was at Wammi's house that he and Wammi had first met. L's thoughts drifted back to that time, remembering.

L suspected that the orphanage staff didn't know what to do with him. He was the kid who was always by himself, watching the others like a shadow during playtime. During school time, he proved he was smarter then any curriculum they gave him. A true genius. Then there was night time.

L sat before a huge upstairs window that looked out over the rest of the estate. In front of him sat a bowl of little white round sweet-tart pieces. L had found himself unable to sleep since the death of his parents a few days before he arrived at Wammi's. The orphanage staff found him sitting at this window every night. The first few nights they had tried to get him to sleep. Eventually they just gave up and let L be L.

That night, however, L's peaceful night was interrupted by someone new.

"Hello there, mind if I sit down?" A voice asked.

L didn't bother to look up from his sweet-tart bowl as he answered. "It is your house. You can do what you want."

There was a brief silence.

L picked up a sweet-tart piece and rolled it in between his fingers before dropping it into his mouth. He wished he hadn't eaten all the blue ones already. They were his favorite.

"How did you know?"

L shrugged. "Your tread is different from any orphanage staff member I have heard. No parent looking to adopt a child would arrive this late and alone. Put that together with the fact that the founder of this place is still alive and has private rooms here and it wasn't hard to figure out, Mr. Wammi."

"I see," Mr. Wammi said.

Another silence, this one longer as Wammi studied L.

"What is your name?"

"Lawliet," L said.

"Lawliet, where is your room?"

L sighed.

Here it comes again, he thought.

Obediently, L picked up his sweet-tart bowl and showed Wammi to his little room. It was spare with only a bed, desk, nightstand, and a lamp.

L decided not to delay the inevitable. He set the bowl of sweet-tarts on the nightstand and lay down on the bed with the covers on top of him. He closed his eyes and wait Wammi to leave just as all the other orphanage staff workers did at this point.

The next sound he heard was the rustling of paper. At first, L thought Wammi was going to read him a bedtime story. He braced himself for at least thirty minutes of some stupid story that most likely involved talking animals.

Instead, Wammi tossed something on to L's bed.

"Sit up. We both know that you are only pretending to sleep and will get up as soon as I have gone."

So Wammi was a perceptive one then.

L sat up and looked down at the foot of his bed to see a newspaper sitting there. He met Wammi's eyes as he grabbed it.

"I haven't meet a child yet who wasn't bored by the newspaper. Either this will help get you to sleep or help you learn something. Your night will be more productive this way. I will call on you again tomorrow and we can discuss it over tea," Wammi said.

L held the newspaper between his thumb and forefinger. He looked down at, frowning.

"Good night, Lawliet," Wammi said as he left, shutting the door behind him.

"Excuse me, sir. Could you sit properly in your chair? We are about to land."

L blinked and looked up to see an airline stewardess standing next to him.

He pointed to his seat-belt, "My seat-belt is on, the seat is in the proper position, and my tray table is stowed. What is the problem?"

The stewardess frowned, but she left him and continued down the aisle to sit down in her seat.

When the plane landed, L waited until all the other passengers were gone before leaving himself. He preferred not to get caught in a crowd if he could help it.

With no luggage to claim, L headed down a staircase to the ground floor of the air-port where a uniformed chauffer stood holding a card with the name Hideki Ryugga on it.

L showed the chauffer the fake I.D. he had created to go with the name and the driver led him to a waiting black lexus. L then gave the driver the address for a house not far from Wammi's. He didn't dare ask to go to Wammi's. He owed it to his old home to not attract Kira's attention to it.


	15. The Beginning of the Alphabet

L walked down the driveway to Wammi's House.

He wasn't worried about any of the children spotting him. He knew the schedule of Wammi's House in precise detail. Right now, the ordinary orphans would be enjoying a bit of free time before dinner. His successors, however, would still be in class. They were the ones that might notice the unexpected arrival of a strange man. The ordinary orphans wouldn't notice or care.

Five children were playing some kind of game on the lawn when L arrived. They didn't notice as he slipped past them across the porch and in through the front door. They were too intent on slapping their hands together in the right rhythm.

L made his way through the halls, stepping in an intricate pattern. He knew the precise location of every camera and every blind spot. It wasn't hard to chart a path from spot to spot. So it was that L made it all the way up the stairs and into the office of the head of Wammi's House before anyone noticed.

Roger, the thin elderly man whom Wammi had appointed director long ago, looked up at L as he entered and frowned.

"Ryuzaki?I was not informed you would be visiting today. Did Near send you?"

"I need to see the files of children who graduated from the program for L's successors and left. I am especially interested in those with artistic skills," L said, ignoring the questions.

"What? I can't do that, Ryuzaki. The only people I can give access to those files to are Watari and L himself," Roger protested.

L took a deep breath. He knew he owed the truth to Roger. Like Watari, Roger had worked tirelessly to support L and all he stood for. But it still went against L's nature to reveal himself.

"One of those people is standing before you. I don't think I need to tell you which one given that Quillish Wammi is dead," L said quietly.

"But I can't_" Roger began then the meaning of L's word sunk in and his mouth dropped open in shock.

"No! It can't be! You are dead!"

L sighed. "Used to be dead. Without going into too many details, let us just say that the same power that killed me brought me back to life not long ago. The files, if you please."

"Of course," Roger said, dully.

He walked over to a picture and pressed the frame, a section of the wall slid away, revealing a safe which he proceeded to open.

After thumbing through the files a few times, Roger selected five and brought them over to his desk.

L sat in the chair, a wooden one with a red plush cushion, on the other side of the desk from Roger and opened them. He scanned each file, turning the pages with his thumb and middle finger.

"Linda. She should do," L decided.

Roger said nothing.

Still shocked, L noted as he grabbed the small overnight bag he had brought with him on the plane and pulled out his laptop and voice disguiser.

L sat the laptop on the desk and called Linda. Using his voice synthesizer and "L" symbol, L felt almost like this was a normal case. He instructed Linda to draw pictures of Mello and Near for Matsuda and Aizawa to give to Light. It was important to the plan that Light know their faces, but not have any photographs of them.

When the call ended, Roger finally came out of his shock.

"So you were L the whole time," He managed.

L looked at him as he shut down his laptop and closed it. "Yes..."

Roger shook his head. "If I hadn't seen and heard what your successors could do, I don't think I would be able to believe that someone so young could be L."

"Watari and I thought about seeking out adults to train. The first children we tried to train turned out terrible after all. Both tried to commit suicide and one was a serial killer. Ultimately, we decided that a person's way of thinking develops when they are young and that training an older person would backfire. Plus, most people aren't comfortable with taking orders from someone younger like Watari did with me," L said.

"Did? He really is dead then?" Roger asked.

"He is never coming back. I regret that more then you will ever know," L said.

"What about Near and Mello? Do they know you still live?"

"They know and are helping me catch Kira. I find them to be very skilled. For that, I must thank you," L said.

Roger looked stunned for a moment then nodded. "Thank you."

"I need just one more thing from you. Do you know where B is?" L asked.

Roger frowned. "He is in a cell in America. Right where you put him. You are not thinking of getting him released are you?"

L shook his head, "I need to see him before the Kira case ends. I owe him a debt and I want to repay it before the end."

"Of the investigation?"

"Yes, the investigation," L said.

 _And also before the end of my life. In order to catch Kira, I might have to die again_.


	16. Visiting a Serial Killer

L stood before a jail cell, looking through the iron bars into darkness. The darkness reminded L of the nothingness that had tried to claim his mind shortly after he left the world of the living. He shivered and steeled himself against the memory.

"Prisoner number 0002, you have a visitor," The guard beside L barked.

The darkness was pierced by a pair of eyes. It could have just been L's imagination, but he could have sworn that the eyes were bright red.

"Thank you. You may go now," L said.

The guard shrugged. "Suit yourself. Don't know what you want with someone like him anyone. Creepy one, he is. Be careful. He looks small and harmless, but I have seen him gut three guards with a single shiv before anyone could lay a hand on him."

L waited until the guard had retreated then stepped closer to the bars.

The red eyes stared at L with burning intensity for a moment and then faded to brown as their owner stepped into the light.

The man regarding L now looked like a washed out version of L. His dyed black hair was brown at the roots and brown peaked through in some places. Without makeup to make the cheeks unnaturally pale, his double had a darker face and darker skin then L. The grey contact lens had been taken from his eyes long ago, but the bags under his eyes at least had not been cosmetics. Faint white burn scars marred the skin on his face and the parts of his arms that were visible through the orange prison jumpsuit.

"It is comforting to know that I at least came close with the look. At least Watari didn't lie to me about what you look like," the man said.

L said nothing. He simply looked at Watari's second attempt at successor. B also known as Beyond Birthday seemed almost like a failed clone with his attempt to approximate even L's looks. His attempt to look like L along with the burn scars from his failed suicide attempt, were a visible sign of how Beyond Birthday had tried to consume everything that L was.

"So what got you down here? I kill three people to make my own suicide look like a murder and all you do is send some female FBI agent after me. You didn't even appear when they locked me up in this hole. What would make 'The Great L' want to visit me?" Beyond Birthday asked.

"You can see my name above my head. Can't you?" L replied.

Beyond Birthday froze. "What do you mean?"

"I can see that from the moment you saw me, you have been confused. Why is it that you can see my name, but not my lifespan? That is what you want to know," L said.

"How did you find out?" Beyond Birthday demanded, gripping the bars tight.

"Watari and I never understood what drove you mad. You never showed signs of instability like A did. Now I know. You have what are called the Shinigami Eyes. They are normally only given to those in direct contact with a god of death or a shinigami and come at the cost of half the user's remaining lifespan. Seeing the end of everyone around you and not being able to do anything is what drove you insane," L guessed.

Beyond Birthday's grip went slack. He just looked at L for a moment, dumbfounded.

L looked back. This moment was crucial to Beyond Birthday and L as well. What had happened to Beyond Birthday had been L's greatest sin prior to his death. Now L would see if that sin would at last be forgiven.

"I could see so many numbers. At first, I didn't know what they were. I added the numbers up above each person's head. It was all a game. Another puzzle to solve. Then each person died when their number ran out. I watched it happen. There was never anything I could do," Beyond Birthday whispered.

His impassive expression cracked and a shining wet tear carved its way down the uninjured side of his face.

"It is not your fault. People die and there is nothing any of us can do to save them. Not even someone with Shinigami eyes. The power you were given comes to those with an intent to destroy. You weren't given those eyes in order to save people, B," L said.

Beyond Birthday looked away and took several deep breathes. When he turned back to L, there was a curious expression on his face. Could that be peace?

"Thank you, L. I don't know why you decided to come here and tell me that, but thank you. I think I understand the truth now," Beyond Birthday said.

L felt a peace of his own. The weight of years and years of guilt was stripped away in that moment. Now he could die again knowing that he had done something right with second chance at life.

"I don't suppose you brought any jam?" Beyond Birthday asked.

L shook his head and Beyond Birthday sighed. "I almost wish they would hurry up and execute me. At least then I could request jam as my last meal."

L cell-phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, L saw that Near was calling him.

He answered the phone and held it to his ear, but didn't speak. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

"L, it is a pleasure to be speaking with you again. I must admit that trick you pulled to make me think you were dead was impressive," Light said.

L didn't reply. Light loved talking. If L kept quiet, Light would eventually get to the point and tell him why he was calling with Near's cell phone.

"Your phone has not been hacked in case you are wondering. I am using Near's cell phone. You should be proud of how he has handled himself so far. He didn't even act surprised when my men burst into SPK headquarters and took him," Light continued.

"Your men?" L asked.

"Support for Kira has grown since your supposed death. There are more then enough strong and highly skilled men willing to do anything Kira orders," Light said. "Now, about Near. I can understand why you would choose him as a successor. He is a lot like you. It is Mello that I am curious about. He took the bait I set for him almost immediately. I can't fathom why you would want such a whirlwind of emotions. Though, to his credit, it has taken us several tries to find a pair of handcuffs he can't slip out of_"

"When and where, Light?" L interrupted.

"I don't know what you mean," Light said mockingly.

"You already have your trace. You now know where I am. So why bother stalling any longer. I know what you want. Me," L replied.

"What makes you think that I won't just kill Near and Mello then come for you later?"

"Because if you planned on killing them then they would already be dead. Before we set this up, I want proof that they are both alive. Exchanging me for them is pointless if they are dead," L said.

"Very well," Light said.

There was a click and L could suddenly here the sound of a tv theme song in the background. Light must have put the phone on speaker.

"L, if there is another Kira, I am almost positive he hasn't seen me and Mello yet. No pictures have been taken and neither of us have been drugged," Near said.

L nodded. Excellent. He and Near were both on the same page.

"Don't do this, L! Near and I expendable! You are not! You can't be allowed to die," Mello shouted.

"Do you think I would accept death so easily? I will find a way out. Kira won't kill me," L replied.

There was another click and the background noise disappeared.

"That should satisfy you. If you were to turn on a TV right now, you could confirm that the TV show you heard in the background is current being streamed live," Light said.

"The proof is satisfactory. I must insist that you take no photographs of Near and Mello or let anyone with the Shinigami eyes see them. This deal will be worthless if that condition is not met."

"Of course. You are in America currently so I will allow you twenty-four hours. That should be just long enough for you to reach the To-oh University tennis court without giving you any time for mischief on the way. Come alone unless you want the hostage exchange to turn into a battle. Near and Mello are simply pawns used by you. I am willing enough to let them go as long as you play fair," Light said.

"I understand," L said.

"This check L. Your move."

**********************************************************************************************************************A/N: Things are heating up! Thanks to all of you who have been reviewing and commenting so far. It is great to know there are people out there reading this.


	17. Prisoner Exchange

"It will take me exactly five minutes to walk the rest of the way. Set out after me when seven have passed. Hopefully, Kira won't have killed any of us by then," L said into the cell phone.

"But Kira doesn't know your real name. As far as we know, he doesn't now Near or Mello's real name either. How could he kill you," Commander Rester said.

"Because the death note is not the only way to kill that exists. Kira was willing to go far enough to recruit fanatical thugs. It is not beyond reason that he would be willing to kill physically now. The plan involved angering Kira so he would make a mistake. So that he would demand this meeting. I don't think I need to tell you what he might do now," L replied.

"I never liked this part of the plan. You are gambling Near and Mello's lives on this not just your own. You know that?"

"I have yet to be proven wrong in my life. Besides, ultimately the only life I am gambling with is my own. Kira is fixated on me. He still believes that it is him versus me and that if he kills me then he has won," L said.

"Don't die before we get there."

"I have no intention of dying a second time. Repeating oneself is tedious. Just be ready when the time comes," L answered and turned off his cell phone.

He took a deep breath and began to walk.

The buildings around L were familair. Here was the building where he had taken the entrance exam with Light. There was the place where the To-Oh entrance ceremony had been held and L had revealed himself to Light. There was the bench he had sat on moments before he met Misa Amena, the original second Kira. That was the cafe where L had tested Light's deductive reasoning skills and set up a verbal trap to determine if Light was Kira.

In the darkness of night, they stood out to L like monuments. They were witnesses to the struggle that had claimed L's life. A testament to both his successes and his failures. It was fitting that Light should choose this place now that their struggle was finally coming to an end.

L heard footsteps and saw shadows long before he reached the tennis court. Kira's thugs, no doubt, making sure that L hadn't brought any backup along.

L reached the tennis court. He could make out a clump of figures at the far end of it when he stepped out on to the court.

Spotlights suddenly flared and L found himself blinded by brilliant light. He closed his eyes and focused on his ears. Two thugs were rushing at him, one from the back the other from the side.

L swerved away from one thug and sent his right foot flying into the other thug's jaw.

There was a heavy thump as the thug crashed to the floor of the court.

Turning, L sent his left foot into the other thug's gut then clipped his ears with his right foot. The second thug joined the first on floor of the tennis court.

L heard clapping ahead of him.

He turned, his vision returning as his eyes adjusted to the light.

There was Light Yagami, looking much the same as he had a year ago in his dark suit and tie. A pair of heavy set men stood next to him, holding onto Near's arms. The boy looked unharmed, standing there in his rumpled clothing. Mello on the other hand, was being held above the ground by his guards and one of them had a hand clamped over his mouth. Mello's face was bruised, but there were bite and scratch marks on his guards and they didn't look too happy about it. A final thug stood behind Light.

"You tried to take me without honoring our deal," L said calmly.

"Surely, you must have suspected as much," Light replied. "You do realize that I have no incentive to honor our little deal now."

L held up his cell phone, "Actually, you do. I spoke with the NPA as L and told them that there was something of interest going on at To-Oh University tonight. I didn't tell them what so our deal hasn't been broken, but I did tell them that if I were to call them then they would need to be ready to go at a moment's notice. They will be here before the phone stops ringing."

Light's smile faded. "Fine. But the original deal still stands. You for your two protegees."

"Yes. I will go through with our deal. Here is the way it will work. I will let one of your thugs grab my free arm and cuff it. You will let either Mello or Near go. Then I will allow him to have the hand holding my cell phone. You will let the other one go. After that, I will drop my cell-phone. Clear?"

Light nodded and looked at one of his thugs. The man approached L with a pair of cuffs in hand.

He took a hold of L's right arm and locked one of the cuffs around it.

The two thugs holding Near released him and the boy walked calmly to the other side of the court until he was far behind L.

"You have seen me fight with only one arm free. Don't try anything," L warned.

Light said nothing.

The thug holding L took a hold of his left arm and cuffed it to the right one.

The thugs holding Mello dropped him. He hit the ground on his feet and ran for Light.

"Run for it, L! Leave me behind," Mello yelled as he slammed into Light.

The thug holding L tightened his grip.

"There is no need for that. I am not going anywhere," L told him. "Mello, go with Near. There is no sense in having all of us dead or captured tonight. Kira won't kill me. I promise."

Mello jumped back from Light and stared at L. "Promise?"

"Yes," L said.

Mello stood frozen for a moment then he raced across the tennis court, past Near and out into the night. Near disappeared a second later.

L watched for a moment in satisfaction then dropped his cell-phone. Good. They were gone.

A sharp click drew L's attention back to himself. The thug had pulled out a pair of heavy duty leg irons while L was distracted and just locked them in place. Judging by the length of the chain between the cuffs, L would barely be able to shuffle in them, much less use his legs to fight.

"Get after them," Light ordered two of his thugs.

They saluted and then ran off in the direction Near and Mello had gone.

The other two thugs approached and each gripped one of L's arms, holding him still.

Light approached with a dark bag in his hands.

"I have to admit, I was expecting an all out brawl right away. You gave up with less of a fight then I expected. Did you really trust the SPK that much?"

L froze as an ugly smile split Light's face.

"That is right, L. I know that you had the SPK ready to come rescue you. When I took Near from SPK headquarters, I also took a communication device. I have been listening in on your communications from the second you contacted the SPK from America. I knew you would try something and even guessed exactly what you would try," He explained.

L's face remain impassive, but he suddenly wrenched his body to the right and pulled his arm up at the same time.

He succeeded in twisting out of his captors' grips, however, with his legs so tightly chained together, all he could do was crumple to the floor of the tennis court.

"Nice try," Light said. "Get him up."

One thug grabbed each of L's arms and a third grabbed L's legs. They held him horizontal above the ground.

Light approached, still grinning and put the dark bag over L's head.

"Sir, the two brats disappeared. We can't find them," someone said.

"They got away, huh. Too bad. But they were only a bonus. Without their precious L to guide them, Near and Mello have no chance. We have who we needed," Light said.

L felt himself swinging the slightest bit as the thugs holding him started walking, doubtless following Light's lead.

He counted the footsteps, trying to gauge how far they were walking. If he calculations were correct, they should be hitting the street right about_

L bounced slightly as his captors' stepped down slightly. Perfect. L was counting correctly.

They continued along the street a while then stopped.

L heard the sound of metal doors creaking. They must be at some kind of vehicle.

The thugs holding L's arms stepped up and seconds later the one holding his legs followed. They then lowered L onto some kind of hard plastic surface. A pair of padded cuffs went around L's arms just above his metal restraints and around his legs above the leg irons too. A blanket was draped over him then pulled up to L's chin. A strap around his chest completed the ensemble.

"A medical vehicle. One that would be used to transport the criminally insane to a mental hospital. If I were to scream for help from in here its doubtful anyone would hear me. Even if they did then no one would help me. If I managed to escape and told someone I was L then they would simply assumed me insane. Clever," L said.

L heard a few gasps. Probably from the thugs.

"Watch him closely. He may not look like much, but he is dangerous. And a lot stronger then he looks," Light instructed.

"I can hardly move much less do anything," L complained.

Light didn't reply.

The rest of the ride went by in complete silence.

L spent the time listening to the sound of the engine and mentally mapping the route his captors had taken him. Assuming that they weren't going in circles to confuse L, they should be well into the city by now, somewhere in the suburbs.

L was jerked forward the slightest bit as the vehicle ground to a sudden halt.

The doors to the vehicle screeched open.

Someone undid the strap around L chest. The blanket was taken off next then hands gripped L tightly as the padded cuffs were released.

After lifting L up off the gurney he had been secured to, the thugs proceeded to exit the vehicle with L suspended between them.

A door, this time what sounded like a wooden one on creaky hinges, opened and shut behind L. He reasoned that they had carried him into whatever house they were using as a base or as his prison.

More slanting. That had to mean more stairs. L was being carried up to the second story of the building.

Interesting. They are not going to trap me in a basement with only one way out. A second story could mean windows and a way to climb onto the roof or down the wall of the house depending on how smooth it is, L thought.

Another door opened and then L was lowered onto something soft.

A bed. Bed frames are ideal for holding someone still because you are able to secure them at both the head and the footboard, L reasoned.

His suspicions were confirmed as the thugs pulled his arms over his head and attached the cuff to something then attached his leg manacles to something in either direction.

The sound of footsteps retreating echoed around the room, leading L to believe that whatever room he was in contained minimal furniture probably just the bed and a night-stand.

The rough fabric of the hood slid over L's face as someone pulled it off him.

Looking up, L could see that the someone was Light.

The thugs had left L alone with Kira.


	18. Helpless

Light said nothing for a moment.

He just stood there looking down at L with a look of satisfaction on his face.

Is he about to start gloating? L wondered.

Then Light reached out and ran two fingers through L's black spiky hair.

L stiffened in response and reflexively his right leg jerked in an attempt to kick Light away. The chain on L's leg rattled, but he was too tightly bound to be able to do anything else.

L knew that Light wasn't touching his hair out of any misguided affection. If Light could love anyone, but himself, L was sure that it would be a woman not a guy. Light had been chained to L for months. He had seen how L disliked being touched, particularly anywhere on his head.

That touch was a message to L and he heard it loud clear. The message was the L was helpless. Light could do anything he want to L and there won't be a thing that L could do to stop him.

L's mind told him that this was not the place where Light would kill him, but what little emotions he could feel were screaming that Light could slit L's throat here and now without bothering about the death note if he wanted to. L was completely at his mercy.

"Good. You understand. I want you to keep that in mind," Light said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle with a syringe.

Poison? But no. Light will want people watching when he kills me. It couldn't be poison, L thought. Even if it is there is nothing I can do about it.

Light cast an eye over L's body as he inserted the syringe into the bottle.

Not poison then. He wouldn't need to calculate the dosage based on weight if it were poison. He could just give me the whole bottle. L decided.

Light pulled out a small alcohol wipe and began to wipe the side of L's neck. He smiled as L flinched at the contact.

There was a sharp pain and a cold tingle as Light inserted the needle into L's neck and then depressed the plunger.

Light removed the syringe and then sat it down on the nightstand next to L.

"We have a moment before that kicks in. Tell me. How did you make it look like Rem killed you with her death note? I checked myself and Rem dissolved into dust, something that wouldn't have happened if she hadn't killed you to save Misa. So how are you still alive?" Light asked.

L considered not answering, but decided against it. He didn't want Light to realize the truth.

"Rem's mistake was in killing Watari first. She thought that he didn't play a role in Misa's demise, but she was wrong. She killed him and turned into a pile of dust before she could write down my name," L answered.

"But you still 'died'. I held you as the heart attack took effect and you stopped breathing," Light pointed out.

"It was all apart of the contingency plan. You see, I had already considered the possibility that Kira might kill Watari before me just to see me suffer. So I had a pill hidden in a fake tooth inside my mouth full of a drug that would mimic the symptoms of a heart attack and then slow my heart-beat down to near nothing. When Watari's heart attack began, he managed to push a button on his computer that alerted me to the situation. I simply bit down hard on the fake tooth to break it open and swallow the pill then second later supposedly died of a heart attack myself," L explained.

Light frowned. "I see. I should have checked with the coroner to make sure you actually stayed or dead or insisted on an open casket funeral so I could make sure you stayed dead. So what have you been doing all this time?"

"Working on leads, bidding my time while I waited for you to make a mistake," L said.

"Was the task force in on your little trick?"

"No. I needed their reactions to be genuine. You were too clever for anyone less then Aiber to fool with any kind of performance. I never contacted them," L said.

He felt his eyes growing heavy. Whatever drug Light had forced into him was starting to take effect, making it hard for L to think.

The last L saw before his eyelids shut and stayed shut was Light, smilingly coldly down at L, with eyes that glinted red with murderous glee.


	19. Kira Vs L

L awoke with a sudden gasp.

His mind was reeling, but his thoughts were clear.

Interesting. Light wants me to have my wits when he kills me, L noted.

He was looking up at a metal roof and his back was pressed against a hard plastic surface. That meant he was on the medical gurney in the ambalance again.

The doors creaked open and L found himself looking up at three thugs.

They efficently held L down while removing the restraints holding him to the gurney then two of them grabbed his arms and hauled him to his feet and out of the ambulance.

The sky was dark that meant L had to have been out for a full twenty four hours. Light had no reason to drug L only to awaken him a few hours later. The drug induced sleep was meant to prevent L from forming any escape plans while Light prepared the next phase of whatever he had planned.

A building with broken glass doors loomed in front of L. It looked like any other office building. If L hadn't seen the lobby, still under construction after a police van had crashed into over over a year ago, he wouldn't have known where he was. The smashed lobby, however, revealed that L was at the Sakura TV broadcasting building.

The thugs guided L forward. At first they let him, walk or shuffle as fast as the chains around his legs would allow, but after a minute or so of agonizingly slow process, they simply held him between them as they walked.

They crossed through a plain wooden door into the badly cracked tile of the lobby. Half the lobby was full of paint-clothes, wooden scaffolding and damaged tile, the signs of construction, but the back half seemed functional and whole. Even the elevator at the back looked untouched.

A man with long black hair and glasses in a dark business suit stood before the elevator, waiting for it to open. He turned as L and his escorts approached and his eyes widened. He did not, however, say anything.

The elevator doors open and the man got in along with L and his escort. It was a tight fit, but they all managed to get into the elevator.

"Prosecutor Taru Mikami. Kira is not someone to worship and he is definitely not a god. He is just a serial killer hiding behind altruistic motives and he has made you one as well," L said.

Mikami frowned and looked L up and down.

"Who are you?"

"Just another person Light Yagami wants dead. I hear he has a notebook full of people like that," L replied.

Mikami's eyes widened and he stared at L, "How do you know about the death note? Who are you?"

"I already answered your second question. It is pointless to ask further even if what you want is my name because you can already see that above my head. I know about the death note because I investigated the Kira Case," L said.

"Who are you?" Mikami demanded a third time just as the elevator doors opened.

"He doesn't look it, but you are looking at the greatest detective in the world," Light said.

Mikami bowed his head to Light then looked up in shock, "L! This man is L!"

Light ignored Mikami and turned to someone behind him, "Is everything ready Demigowa?"

A fat man with a mustache came forward, a huge smile on his face. His piggy little eyes behind his glasses were gleaming with excitement.

"We just need to get your guest into place and then we can roll camera," Demigowa said gleefully.

L looked at Demigowa distastfully. "I always thought you had more greed then common sense."

"Tough words, but remember Mr. High Mighty. I ain't the one about to be executed," He said.

Light snapped his fingers at the thugs and they carried L into the studio.

"Just make sure the camera is ready to go," Light told Demigowa.

There were two pieces of furniture in the studio. One was a pulpit made of dark wood with Light's death note sitting on it like some unholy bible. The other was a steel chair bolted to the studio floor with a freshly embeded iron ring sunk into the wall above it and another in the floor beneath the chair.

The thugs dumped L onto the chair and secured his handcuffs to the ring above his head and his ankle cuffs to the ring beneath the chair.

"You could have at least let me sit properly," L told Light when he entered.

"Maybe it is just another way for you to know that you are not in charge of situation. You are sitting properly for the first time in your life, L. You are sitting like everyone else and you are about to die like everyone else does," Light said.

Mikami came to stand behind Light's left shoulder. His eyes gleamed and seemed to be rose tinted now.

L wondered if it was a trick of the light.

"Rolling!" Demigowa called.

"People of the World. I am here to announce that a new world is it at hand. I have striven tirelessly to create a just world and now it begins. I used to be Light Yagami, but now my name is Kira. As thousands of you have already recognized, I am the god of this new world. I am here tonight to claim it as my own. Tonight, I demonstrate my powers to prove my godhood and destroy the last trace of the old world," Light announced.

He pointed at L, "That man there is the last trace. Although he looks like a harmless college student, he is Kira's only living foe. He is L."

L heard a faint gasp then a gleeful chuckle from the control room adjoining the studio. It appeared that Demigowa hadn't been told who L was. In true Demigowa fashion, though all Demigowa could see that the revelation meant was dollars signs.

"L dared to humilate Kira in front of the world. He has hunted me and attempted to stop this new world from ever coming into being. For that his life is forfeit. Yet Kira can be merciful and I am prepared to show even him mercy," Light continued.

Light looked away from the camera at L. His eyes glowed with a vicious glee that he hadn't dared to reveal when playing Light Yagami.

"L, admit that Kira is God and that you were wrong to oppose him and I will simply kill you with a heart-attack, like I do the criminals. Continue to defy me, and I will order your lungs to stop working. Your death will be slow and agonizing as your body feels like it's on fire. The human body can take a remarkably long time to die from lack of air and I will make sure you feel every second of it," Light said.

"What crime have a commited that I deserve to die?" L asked simply.

Light, unprepared for this, just looked at L for a moment then his expression hardened. "You oppose Kira. That is enough."

"I oppose Kira. You will not find a law in any country that specifically says not to oppose Kira. Why is opposing Kira a crime?" L asked.

"Because the only people who have to fear Kira, a god who punishes the evil doers, must be evil," Light replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Really? Then you should be able to point to an evil deed I have done. Let me tell you why I oppose Kira. Because no one should be judge, jury, and executioner. We have a legal process for a reason. That reason is to weed out the guilty from the innocent. Kira kills without a legal conviction. Kira is not a high government official. He doesn't have access to all the facts about a case. He simply waits for a name to appear on the internet or TV then kills. Do you want to know how many people you have killed who were found innocent post mortem?" L asked.

Mikami's eyes widened. Light's face began to turn red.

"No? The human brain can't comprehend numbers well. It would be better for me to give names wouldn't it. First there are the twelves FBI agents you killed simply because they were ordered to help me. In particular there is Ray Pember, an FBI agent who accepted the assignment because he wanted to come to Japan to meet his Fiance's family. Then there is Ray's fiance, Naomi Misora. All she wanted to do was avenge her fiance's death by catching Kira. Did she deserve to die for that? There is also Watari or Quillish Wammi, all he did was help me in my investigation. He followed my lead. Did he deserve death for being so loyal? These were sane rational people without any kind of criminal background. So why do you think they opposed you as I do?" L demanded.

Light's face was completely red with anger by this time. His hands spasmed as he clutched the sides of the pulpit. "They misunderstood what I was trying to do," Light growled.

"No. They didn't. The reason you killed all three of those people was simply because they opposed you and spoke out against you. Do you know who else kills people for disagreeing with them? Dictators. What you see before you is no god. Kira is nothing but a serial killer and a tyrant. This new world he speaks of only differs from the old one in a single way: Kira rules the new one. He will rule with an iron fist, killing anyone who dares to speak against him and killing anyone that the internet announces is a criminal. It won't be long before Kira's ideas of right and wrong will transcend even that. Kira has no firm idea of what is right and what is wrong. He will be unable to distinguish between the innocent and guilty. It won't be long before innocents tremble in terror of the name they once praised_"

L's words were cut off by the fist that slammed into his jaw.

Light Yagami had leaped across the room as L was speaking and now stood directly before him, pummeling him with his fists.

Chained as he was, L had no way to defend himself as Light reigned blow after blow down upon him.

"You are wrong! Kira is God! I have succeeded and created justice! My justice not some phony justice created by law!" Light shouted as he hit at L.

Then just as abruptly as the beating began, it stopped.

Light stepped back from L, breathing hard. He took a couple deep breaths and brought back his familiar calm and composed expression. He stepped back to the pulpit.

L's nose was bleeding and his lip was busted. Flecks of blood sprinkled his shirt as L spat blood from his mouth.

"Mikami, tell me L's real name," Light ordered, cooly.

Mikami was staring at Light, wide-eyed from what he had just witnessed.

"Mikami!" Light snapped.

Mikami numbly looked at L then said, "L-a-w-l-i-e-t. Lawliet. His name is Lawliet."

"Lawliet," Light said, as if trying the name out. "Not quite what I imagined it being. But is has a certain ring to it."

Light produced a pen from his pocket and opened the death note.

"You have refused to acknowledge Kira as God. For that I sentence you to suffocate in as painful a way as possible. The entire world is watching, Lawliet. I will show them what happens when you cross me," Light said.

Light wrote L's name down in the death note and then watched L with a grin on his face.

If the Shinigami King was lying about my immunity, I am about to die again, L thought.


	20. End of the Line

The silence in the room seemed to stretch for an eternity even though it lasted for a single minute only.

Light watched L, his eyes gleaming as he waited for the detective to start dying. L regarded Light calmly with half closed eyes, almost as if the prospect of his own impending death bored him. Mikami was watching both L and Light with wide eyes.

Light's maniac smiled faded then disappeared as he realized that L was still breathing.

"Why won't you die! I wrote your name down in the death note! You should be dead!" Light shouted. He whirled on Mikami. "Are you sure Lawliet is the right name? You spelled it right and everything?"

"Y-yes," Mikami stammered.

"The answer to your question is obvious," L said.

Light turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! THIS IS GOING TO PUT SAKURA TV ON THE MAP!" Demigowa yelled.

Seconds later there was a crash as the door to the TV studio burst open.

Aizowa rushed into the room followed closely by his partner, Chief Yagami, Mogi, and Matsuda. Mello entered on their heels with the SPK close behind him. Near entered the room last of all, playing with a white pair of chinese handcuffs.

Lidner and Gevanni went straight for the thugs by the door. Before the big men could react, they were on the ground moaning and handcuffs where on their wrists.

Aizowa and his partner rushed to Mikami. They grabbed him, but Mikami was twisting and squirming to much for them to get cuffs on him.

Light watched all this, rooted to the spot in shock as Mogi and his father approached him.

Mogi pulled out his handcuffs and cuffed Light's left wrist. Light pulled away from him. He turned to his father with wide eyes.

"Dad? Its me, Light! Your only son! You are not going to let them do this to me? Are you dad!" Light cried.

Chief Yagami's gaze was hard as flint. He strode up to Light and took a hold of his right arm. "My son is dead. Kira killed him a long time ago and took his face and name."

Light watched in shock as his father cuffed his right wrist to his left one and led him back behind the pulpit with Mikami whom Aizowa and Matsuda had finally managed to cuff.

"What I meant, Light, is that your earlier statement was false. You did not write my name in the Death Note. The notebook you currently have and the notebook in Mikami's suit pocket are ordinary notebooks. They are fakes created by Gevanni," L said.

"But how? How did you replace the notebooks with fakes? How did the taskforce and SPK find us so quickly?" Light demanded.

"I have to give credit where credit is due. This plan would never have worked without Near and Mello to help me," L said.

"They were just pawns," Light scoffed.

"No. I just wanted you to think they were. Take, Mello for example, you think him to be a smart person who nevertheless lets him emotion get in the way and takes unnecessary risks. That was first set up when he led the mafia in an attempt to get a death note. It was further confirmed by his break in at your apartment and his abduction of Misa Amena. By the time you had Mello in custody, you never questioned whether or not Mello found the Death Note when he searched your house. Why else would the Death Note still be there when Mello left? Then there was his 'attack' on you when he and Near were being exchanged for me. You thought that Mello had simply slammed into you out of an emotional impulse to save me. So you never realized that Mello's 'attack' was simply a way for him to get close enough to you to drop a tracking chip in your pocket. We knew that you would search me for bugs and there was a slight chance you might check your thugs for one, but we knew that you would never check yourself for one. Then there is Near. He helped me come up with a way to seemingly vanish from the bus when I visited you. Near also helped establish the link between himself and Mello and later me so that you would realize that we were all on the same team and think that I was responsible for the entire plan. As for how we replaced, Mikami's death note. The same night I was abducted by you, Gevanni sneaked into Mikami's home and replaced his death note with a fake," L said.

Mello checked the thugs' pockets until he found keys in one of them. He unlocked L's ankle cuffs and handcuffs.

"Thank you," L said, rubbing his wrists. He pulled his legs up to his knees, sitting the way he was accustomed to.

"That was an awfully big risk to take L. What if Kira had simply killed you the moment he had you?" Matsuda asked.

"That wasn't going to happen," L said dismissively. "Doing things this way offered Kira two things he couldn't resist. The chance to get rid of me and to have the whole world watch him defeat me. Kira didn't appear to have any weaknesses to me at first. It wasn't until I 'died' and saw that gloating smile on his face that I realized his fatal flaw. I deduced early on the Kira hated to lose. What I failed to notice is that Kira also loves to win and gloats when he does. So I offered him what seemed like a win: me helpless and at his mercy. As a result he has confessed to being Kira on video. That will be enough to convict him."

"If it was a conviction you wanted then why didn't you arrest me after you 'haunted' me on the bus? My words would be enough for there to be reasonable suspicion, most of the time that is enough in Japan for a conviction," Light snapped.

"Because after my apparent death, the people of the world decided that Kira wasn't bad. Some were afraid, others just deceived," L looked at Mikami as he said the word deceived, paused for a moment then continued, "If I had simply tried to arrest you then odds are pretty good that the government would have refused to allow it and I would have been offered up to you on a silver platter like as some kind of sacrifice to appease you. If I wanted to do what I set out to do, hold Kira accountable for his killings, I knew that I not only had to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are Kira, but I also had to expose your true face to the world. Judging by Mikami's reaction, I think I have done that."

"But I didn't do anything!" Light protested.

"You didn't kill anyone this time. You did, however, lose your temper and beat a helpless prisoner up on live television. You both sounded and looked like you were raving mad," L pointed out.

Light fell silent for a moment then suddenly laughed. "Very well, L. You win. We will see how long you survive after this. Your face has been revealed to millions of viewers. Thousands of criminals now know the name and face of the detective who has hunted them for years. How long do you think you will last before one of them finds and murders you."

"Is that what you think? I will tell you something, you will find interesting. This studio is not live. Demigowa agreed to set the cameras on record instead of broadcast. Make no mistake, the tape of what happened tonight will still be shown, only with certain edits. My image will be replaced carefully with another person's and then blurred beyond all recognition as will Near and Mello's. My name will be censored from the program as well_" L began to say then he stopped.

He suddenly found himself unable to move his body. He toppled out of the chair and onto the floor.

"L!" Mello cried, dashing to his mentor's side.

It is happening. I have fulfilled my purpose so the Shinigami King has killed me. I am dying again, L thought.

The last sound he heard before blackness engulfed him, was the sound of Light, laughing hysterically.


	21. Judgement

But the darkness didn't swallow L quite like it had before. It didn't rage like a fire inside his consciousness, obliterating every trace and memory. All it did was steal his vision and all sensation for a moment before clearing.

L found himself lying atop the plateau in the Shinigami Realm where he had last spoken with the Shinigami King.

The first sound he heard seemed to be a tea kettle boiling over. When L, pushed himself to his knees and looked up, he realized it was the Shinigami King laughing.

"Well, that was certainly different. Your entire plan depended on you getting beaten up and nearly executed on television by your enemy. That was suprising, but it was delightful entertainment," The Shinigami King said.

L got to his feet, "So what happens now?"

The Shinigami King looked at L then behind him, "That depends on you."

Turning around, L saw Ryuk standing behind him. The shinigami slouched slightly as he stood and looked up at the Shinigami King without any awe or reverance in his eyes. Ryuk wasn't quite standoffish which meant that he still recognized that the King had authority and was not to be challenged, but his posture and bearing were enough to tell L that Ryuk didn't fear the King either. Ryuk's hands were at his sides, a death note clutched in each wickedly taloned grasp.

"You have defeated Kira. As such, his life and his death notes are yours to do with as you please," The Shinigami King informed him.

L blinked, "Surely, you don't think I am going to fall for that. The whole reason this thing started was because Kira ordered one of you Shinigami around. Kira and his death notes are yours."

The Shinigami King grinned, exposing his blacked, jagged teeth. "I like your attitude. But in this case, Shinigami law is clear. The death notes and Kira's life belong to you. You would not be ordering a Shinigami around or manipulating one by accepting them. It is permitted."

"Very well," L replied. "Ryuk, I will not accept Kira's death notes. One was yours to begin with so I give it back to you. The other I offer to the Shinigami King. I would give it back to its original owner were she alive, but that is not possible now."

"You are not going to keep one for yourself?" Ryuk asked.

"No," L said.

"What if I told you that you could live again and live longer if you took one?" The Shinigami King asked.

"First of all, I am not dead. I now know what death feels like and what just happened was not it. You simply took my conscious mind from my body in order to talk to me. In this way, if you wanted you could put me back without causing me any damage or you could kill me and just make the coma I am in permanent," L said.

Ryuk laughed and the Shinigami King glared at him.

"What? I told you he was pretty good," Ryuk said.

"And?" The Shinigami king demanded.

"I didn't defeat Kira just so I could become him. It is worth my life to take both death notes from earth," L replied.

"Why?"

L frowned.

The Shinigami King was studying him. There was a strange sincerity in his eyes. As if this question mattered to him.

"If I become Kira then Kira wins and L dies. Kira put up a good front as L but he was never me. It is impossible to be both L and Kira at the same time. It is impossible to break the law and still uphold against others," L said.

"I see. And Kira himself? What do you want for him?"

"I want Kira to keep living," L answered.

"Kira killed you. As you just said, he killed thousands of innocents. Does he not deserve to die for his crimes?" The King demanded.

"Kira does deserve to die. But his life is not mine to take. I am will not kill someone the law has not convicted and I am not an executioner. Kira will be tried by the law that he scorned and executed like any common murder," L said.

"Huh. Aren't you boring. That could take weeks," Ryuk commented.

"Is this your final decision?" The Shinigami King asked.

"Yes," L said.

"Very well. It shall be as you request," The King said. His crooked smile reappeared. "And as for my judgement. You will know in a moment if I have judged you worthy of your second chance."

L dropped to the ground as the darkness enfolded him again and the Shinigami Realm disappeared from L's sight, never to be seen again.

A/N: I am kind of sad to see this story end. I have one more part planned and then it is all over. I loved writing this story. It was great to get your reviews and your likes. You guys are great. I will try to post the last part within a week.


	22. Epilogue: Lawliet

When L opened his eyes, he was so relieved to be able to do so that he didn't care where he was. It didn't matter where he was. The fact that he was still breathing meant that he had passed the Shinigami King's tests and had been returned to earth.

"L, you are awake!"

L sat up and looked around. He was in a hospital bed with thin blue blankets. There was an IV in his right arm and a LED clasped on one of his right fingers that connected to a heart rate monitor. Various wires poked from L's arms and beneath his shirt, attached to various machines.

Sitting in a chair next to the bed was Chief Yagami.

"What happened?" L asked, though he had a pretty good idea what must have happened after he passed out.

"You suddenly fell to the ground. We thought it was a heart attack at first, but you had a steady pulse though it was alarmingly weak. We brought you to the closest hospital. Don't worry, we checked you in under an alias provided to us by Near. The doctors said you were in a coma, but had no idea how or why. You have been out for three days straight," Chief Yagami said.

L read the Chief's face as he spoke.

"It wasn't your fault," L said.

"We demanded Kira tell us what he did to you, but he just laughed in our faces and said he had nothing to do with your condition, though he deeply wished he did," Chief Yagami continued. "He has to be behind it. But how he could do it without his death note, we don't_"

"Kira didn't do this to me. I don't doubt that he would if he could, though. I was brought back to life by the Shinigami King to catch Kira. He took me from my body so that we could speak to each other in the Shinigami Realm. Tell me, what happened to the death notes we hid?"

Chief Yagami gaped at L for a second then began to speak, "They disappeared. We can't find them."

L gave a sigh of relief, "Good. Ryuk took both of them with him back to the Shinigami Realm. He now has one and the Shinigami King has the other per my request. The death notes are out of mortal hands for good."

"So the King just wanted to speak with you?" Chief Yagami asked.

"He wanted to see if I would accept the death notes and become like Kira. It was a test," L said.

"A test? What would have happened had you failed?"

L looked around the room, "My coma would have been permenant and I would have died. Is there any coffee with sugar here?"

Chief Yagami just stared at L blankly. "You almost died again and all you can think about is sugar!"

"Almost dying makes you want the sweet things in life while you can still have them," L commented dryly.

"What are you doing sitting up!" A fussy voice demanded.

Moments later L found himself being pushed down to a lying position by a pair of unyielding hands.

A nurse with grey-hair in a severe bun stood over him, her gaze every bit as hard as her hands. "You only just woke Mr. Lynch. You shouldn't be sitting up yet."

"I am fine," L protested.

"Okay then. Try and stand for me," The nurse said taking her hands off him and crossing her arms.

L sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He found his legs unable to support him, however.

The nurse caught him and then put him back in the bed again.

"Want to tell me you are alright now?"

It could be that my soul hasn't fully settled back into my body yet or the effects of being in a coma for three days, L thought.

"I am still well enough to sit up," L protested.

The nurse raised an eyebrow and tapped her foot.

"But I will stay lying down," L said meekly.

The nurse nodded in satisfaction and turned to Chief Yagami, "The doctor will be in shortly to run tests and see if can find what made him pass out. Don't upset the patient or I'll kick you out myself."

Chief Yagami nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

He waited until the nurse left then turned to L.

"I am surprised you gave in so easily," Chief Yagami said.

"It would be foolish for someone in my position to upset a nurse. She could play havoc with my life for however long I am stuck here and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it," L replied.

Chief Yagami smiled. It was a brief smile, but L took it as a good sign. Maybe Chief Yagami could get over Light's possession by Kira and be happy.

"I am going to look for some coffee. I will dump all the sugar packets I can find into yours," He said, rising.

"Thank you," L said as he left.

Moments later a grey haired doctor entered and began asking L questions. L knew which answers to give. It was best that the doctors believe L's sudden coma to be the result of stress combined with sudden drop in blood sugar. With L's hypoglycemia, it was a very plausible explanation and one that was sure to satisfy the doctor. Telling the truth would only get L confined to the mental floor of the hospital.

Satisfied, the doctor assured L that his coma was due to stress and a drop in blood sugar, big surprise there. Bad news came mixed in with the good though. The doctor wanted to keep L for a couple days at least so that tests could be run to make sure that it wasn't something else and to make sure he recovered completely from the coma.

The doctor turned to leave just as Chief Yagami entered with L's coffee.

"Don't give that to him. We want to control the amount of sugar he gets these next few days. We don't want to spike his blood sugar and send him into another coma," The doctor said.

Chief Yagami shrugged. "Sorry, L."

L watched as Chief Yagami poured the coffee down the sink in the corner and tossed the cup into the trash can.

"This is purgatory. Endless waiting with none of the things that make life good," L grumbled.

The door burst open a second later and Mello rushed in followed, at a more sedate pace, by Near holding an arubics cube and carrying a backpack over one shoulder.

"You are awake," Mello cried in delight.

Chief Yagami gave Mello a brief smile. "I will leave you two alone with him. I will be back later, L."

L had to repeat the explanation of his collapse twice before Mello was satisfied. The blond haired boy stood close to the bed, looming over L. Near settled himself on the chair Chief Yagami had vacated and listened, only occasionally looking away to twist a part of his arubics cube.

"So you are going to live indefinitely?" Mello demanded.

"The Shinigami King didn't even tell me he had decided to let me live let alone how long I was going to live. But my guess is that I will live just as long as I would have if Kira hadn't used Rem to kill me. I don't think he is just randomly going decide to kill me and I will drop dead," L replied.

Mello grinned like a chesire cat. "Good. I still have plenty of time to beat Near and become your sucessor then."

"Actually_" L began.

"Wait!" Mello said holding up a hand.

L listened but heard nothing.

"All the doctors and nurses are occupied. Now I can give you this," Mello said, pulling a white paper bag from his pocket.

He tossed it to L who caught it and peeked inside.

The sight of several hundred little pixie sticks made L smile. "I will have to careful about where I hide these and when I eat these. Thanks Mello."

"Now what were you going to say?" Mello asked.

"I have made a decision regarding my successor," L said.

Mello's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yes. Near, do have the files I asked you to get if I were to die?"

Near nodded and pulled two manila from the backpack. He handed one to Mello.

"I didn't open them. There was still a good chance you would live. I got them just in case, though," Near explained.

Mello opened his and gasped. "But this is information on Eraldo Coil?"

L nodded. "Yes. You will need it. The world doesn't know that I overcame Coil and took his title. I would very much like to keep it that way. Which means pretending to be the original Coil. I didn't choose you as my successor, Mello because you are not like me or Near. We both see the world around us arranged like a chessboard or a puzzle. You see individual people and causes. What I have seen throughout this case is that you need to be allowed room to do things your way. You wouldn't be able to do that with my title."

In the meantime, Near had opened his folder and read it without comment.

L turned to look at him.

"Is it agreeable to you?" L asked.

"What agreeable?" Mello demanded.

"The folder contains my case history just as yours contains Coils. I wasn't sure I would live through this so I wanted Near to be L if I died. Now that I am alive though, things will be different. I still need a successor and I want it to be Near. Near won't be going back to Wammi's or waiting somewhere else, though. He will be shadowing and assisting me with cases so that when my death actually comes, he can step in with hardly a ripple. Now if I die, there will be no great loss," L said.

"No."

L frowned. The denial was said with Near's voice, but there was a strange ring to it. He looked over at Near.

The boy was looking down at his arubics cube. He wasn't playing with it, however. It was clasped tight in one hand the other balled into a fist.

"If you die the world will suffer a great loss. We both know there is more to a person then their abilities," Near said.

He looked up, his face set in an earnest expression. "We see talk as if the world is some great game. As if it doesn't hurt when a person dies and act like they are a piece taken off the board, nothing more. But we both know that there is more then that. There are the people who love you and you love in return. Every life is interconnected to others. I will never let anyone take the people who are interconnected to me and on the day that I do lose one, there will be a hole in the world and in me that no one can fill. That is the way it works."

A single tear trickled from one of Near's eyes and he looked away.

L just looked at him. He had forgotten that Near had spent the last three days wondering if L would every wake up. L had come to terms with the idea that he might die so long ago that he barely even thought of what the consequences might be to those who cared about him. Now that L thought about, there were more then a few of those people. Before this case, L had always thought the only person who would mourn his passing would be Watari if whatever killed L didn't kill him as well. Now, L had Mello, Near, Mr. Yagami and the rest of the task force. At sometime during the case, they had all become close to him. It all had snuck up so quickly and so quietly that even the great L hadn't seen it coming.

L lay back and smiled. As he listened to Mello talking about all the grand things he was going to do as Eraldo Coil and watched Near complete his arubics cube, he realized that he wasn't ready to die just yet. The Kira case had given L something besides the job to live for. He was not just a letter floating on screen any more. He was Lawliet.

A/N: And so the story has finally come to an end. Kuddos to all of you who made it this far. If you liked what you read and like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, I have another fanfic that I will posting shortly called the "Case of the Crimson Alchemist." The fanfic is set during the Ishvaal rebellion and follows Mustang and his squad as they try to apprehend Solf J. Kimblee. Thanks so much for reading.


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